Cold Wings of a Fairy
by UnknownBlackHand
Summary: Fairy Tail's strongest team discovers a sole survivor after a city has been attacked by a new dark guild. She has a ravenous thirst for magical knowledge especially when she discovers the art of Dragonslayer magic. She is plenty nice to her guild mates, but her plans for Fairy Tail are a bit more than concerning for a few certain members. Plenty of Ships!
1. Chapter 1: Frozen Waste

**Chapter I**  
**Frozen Waste**

They took the job after taking a break for a couple weeks from the 100 Years Quest. It was an SS-Class mission to investigate the destruction of a city far to the north, to search for any more survivors, and to defeat whatever caused the destruction. Naturally, Master and Mira brought it up to the Strongest Team: The legends that defeated dragons, demons, and even gods!

"We better pack for this one, Helleborus gets pretty cold this time of year... Well, unless you're Gray, AND WOULD YOU PUT ON SOME CLOTHES?!" Lucy ended up shouting; Gray, sitting on a bench immediately jumped to his feet, startled to find that he was in nothing but his boxers once again. To make matters more awkward between him and the Guild, Juvia had been picking up the habit too... Not that men like Macao and Wakaba didn't mind, but Gray was now prone to delivering kicks or snowballs to those who looked at his now-beloved Juvia with hearts in their eyes and steam shooting from their nostrils. Perverts.

"It's going to be a long train ride there," Erza stated.

"How far is it? Maybe Happy can fly me there," Natsu added.

"What?! Natsu there's no way I can fly that far in one go! We're going to have to use the train," Happy told him. Nastu was nearly choking back on the morning's breakfast just thinking about it. There was one consolation though, there were plenty of people on his dream who wouldn't mind knocking him out during the ride.

"Who posted this job?" Erza asked.

"It's from Jellal Fernandes, he said that he'll meet you outside the train station outside Helleborus," Master told them, and Erza had to turn away to keep from blushing.

Off they went to pack and to meet at the train station, oh if only Lucy had a spirit that could cure his crippling motion sickness, or if only he could fly on his own, of to have an animal he could ride on all the way there! Nope, it had to be the train, the bane of a dragon slayer. Luckily Natsu slept through most of it while Gray, Erza, Lucy, Happy, Juvia, and a special new friend to the team tried to preoccupy themselves in conversation.

"SS-Class requested from Jellal, what are we going to be up against?" Lucy asked as she hugged Plue like a timid child would with a teddy bear.

"Does it really matter? We've gone up against demons, Acnologia, God Dragons, and Zeref and his empire, if we can't defeat whatever this is, then nobody else will be able to... Unless we get the whole guild involved," Gray replied in his usual nonchalant manner.

"Now that's the spirit!" A new voice announced. Gray and Juvia glanced down at the speaker, a lilac-colored exceed with a black patch on his face that made him look like he was wearing a mask and a few black stripes that stretched across his back, and his garment of choice was a blue ascot. His name is Fleischer, a friend Gray made after the 100 Year Quest.

Fleischer has two faces in his standard form: his typical face was just as sweet and precious as Frosch - the exceed companion of Rogue the Shadow Dragonslayer - and with his 'mask' he was even cuter! His second face was an intimidating death glare, if Fleischer was human, this death glare could compete with those everyone on the train has ever made - yes, even Erza.

Like Carla and Panther Lily, Fleischer also had a second form. It was a battle form that he could really only use for desperate situations as he wasn't quite strong enough to keep the form for long. Besides, he preferred to be adorable.

Ω Ω Ω

Jellal looked up as he heard the train approach, his guild mates awaited inside the train station. Something hung over the city that made them feel sick to their stomachs and Eric couldn't move his hands from his ears.

As the train came to a stop, a sense of relief and hope came over Jellal; Fairy Tail had arrived.

"Erza, Juvia, Gray, Lucy, Happy, other exceed, and Natsu, thanks for coming here so quickly!" he announced while Natsu fell on his face on the platform to catch his breath and keep food down.

"Jellal, it's good to see you, and where's your guild?" Erza asked.

"Crime Sorcière is inside, come inside, and I'll fill you in," he replied. Lucy had to employ herself as Natsu's crutch to get him inside.

Fairy Tail was shocked to see Crime Sorcière with such defeated looks on their faces, seeing their immediately snapped Natsu out of feeling sick.

"Welcome to what's left of Helleborus. We've heard that some suspicious mages were in the area and by the time we got here to investigate, the city was already destroyed. We've tried to search for survivors, or any clue on who did this, but there's something - some sort of residual magic power we suspect - over the city's remains," Jellal told them.

"It seems like you've already found something," Juvia stated looking over to Crime Sorcière. Macbeth, formerly known as Midnight, looked up and replied: "It's despair."

"Follow me," Jellal ordered.

They stepped outside, and they found that where there used to be a city was now just a pile of rubble and bodies. There were so many remains that it was fortunate that it was so cold outside, otherwise there would be an unbearable stench.

Fairy Tail froze, Gray trembled slightly as the sight brought back memories of the destruction Deliora - a demon from the book of Zeref - had wrought. However, there was something else to this destruction that made it even worse than that. As Fairy Tail pressed further into the city the atmosphere turned gloomy and hopeless. They could also feel that the lingering magic belonged to someone incredibly powerful, close to the power of the Spriggan 12, or a small group of wizards who could accumulate that much power.

The gloom made them feel like they were trapped inside their homes while a blizzard had raged on for days, and they were running low on food.

"You said that you came here because of suspicious wizards?" Erza questioned.

"Yes, but right now we're here to see what can be found. Clues that can help us track them down, or survivors that could prove to be a witness," Jellal replied.

"This is a big place, it'll go faster if your guild will help us out too," Gray told him.

"Of course." He then motioned for his guild to follow after him and they split off to scour the city: Group One was Erza, Jellal, and Macbeth; Group Two, Juvia, Gray, Meredy, Sawyer - formerly known as Racer - and Fleischer; Group Three, Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Eric, and Richard - formerly known as Hot Eye.

Group One rummaged around around a church that of course had been reduced to rubble. Being near it made them feel like their doom was fast approaching, their hearts were forced to race in anxiety, but they forced themselves to push through it. The bodies that still had flesh on their faces were blanched and frozen in terror. The bodies missing flesh had their bones turned black.

"Strange, it doesn't seem like they were burned," Macbeth spoke as he dropped to his knee to examine a skull closer, but being careful not to touch it, he wasn't an idiot.

"Only something truly evil could cause that, and then leave this sense of doom behind," Erza replied.

"We're well aware of this, Erza, the real questions are: Who did this? What do they want? Why destroy the city and its people? How are we going to catch them? Still, there are no signs of survivors in this area," Jellal stated.

They started digging into the church's remains.

* * *

Group Two scavenged the main residential area of the city. The houses were little more than snow-covered piles of debris.

"Eric said that he started hearing voices in this area when we first tried sweeping this area... At first he said that he heard something like mumbles and whimpers, but then it suddenly turned into screams, and he hasn't been able to uncover his ears since," Sawyer explained.

"Did you hear anything for yourself?" Gray asked, he scratched behind Fleischer's ear as the exceed on his back poked his head over his shoulder.

"No, but then Eric's got that crazy hearing. He says that he's never heard screams so terrible, and given our pasts that's saying something... I do feel one thing though, and that's despair," Sawyer replied.

"Yes, I feel it too... their sorrow, their sense of hopelessness, and their fear," Meredy replied.

Gray looked over to the far side of the residential district and his attention caught on one house and he saw that it really only had a caved-in roof. He ran over to it and tried the door but it was frozen shut.

"Shut like this, does that mean that this place is colder than it should be?" he questioned.

"Perhaps, the cold goes well with despair - Oh, and I meant no offense, Gray!" Meredy replied.

Gray waved the others over, encased his hand in spiked ice, and punched in the door!

"Oh, Gray you're so strong!" Juvia exclaimed while doing a hip shake with hearts in her eyes.

They stepped inside and the sense of despair was less than it was outside, and they found what looked to be a small banner with a guild crest on it, it appeared to be a soaring firebird. The banner was blood red and the firebird crest was in black.

"Jellal's going to want to see that, but we should also look for more clues, maybe these guys left behind some notion of what they were after," Juvia spoke.

"I'll look in the high places," Fleischer announced and he took flight from Gray's back.

* * *

Group Three searched the edge of the city near a forest to see if they could pick up a scent or any sign of people running from the city.

"Well, at least it's finally grown quieter," Eric grumbled.

"What are you going on about?" Natsu asked.

"There were voices and screams in the city, it was as if the residual magic left behind in the attack trapped the voices of the people. I could still hear it loud and clear; they're only now just starting to fade," Eric told him and he lowered his hands from his ears.

"Do you have any idea how the city was destroyed?" Lucy asked.

"As you can probably tell, it was through sinister magic, but the exact type of magic still eludes us. These words come to mind: Doom, Despair, and Destruction," Eric replied.

"We can already see that's come to pass, oh yeah," Richard remarked.

Natsu eventually froze and sniffed the air.

"Did you catch a whiff of something we can have for lunch?" Happy asked.

"No - well maybe - something's been burned, but it was a while ago... Strange, it also has a mix of sweat and perfume," Natsu replied. He sniffed the air some more and looked over to the dark and creepy looking forest: "I think we ought to check something out in there."

"Now that these screams are fading, I'm starting to pick up on someone's thoughts," Eric replied.

With the dragonslayers at the lead they ran off in their tracking mode, weaving between trees and leaping and ducking around obstacles.

"Will you guys slow down so we can keep up?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's the thrill of the hunt! Oh yeah!" Richard replied.

The 'hunt' led them to a dark and spooky cave.

"Oh great, no telling what sort of creeps or creatures are in there!" Lucy complained.

"No doubt about it, there's someone in there," Natsu stated. He lit a fireball over his hand and stepped in the cave, but it wasn't an easy cave to get through with high stalagmites and low stalactites, so Richard used his magic to open it up so they could get through it easier.

"I can hear her now, her thoughts, her breathing, and she's hoping that we don't find her," Eric spoke softly.

Lucy then decided to call out in her friendly and sweet voice: "Hey, can you hear me? We're here to help you!"

A raised tunnel in the cave caught Richard's attention, and he motioned for Eric to come and check it out. Eric paused and listened in front of the high tunnel and turned to Natsu, Lucy, and Happy: "She's up in there, and she might be more willing to come out for Lucy and the cat than the rest of us."

"You heard him, Happy, can you please just lift me into the tunnel without trying to give me a complex?"

Happy then flew Lucy into the tunnel and then he brought up Natsu to provide some light. Once he was up, his fire illuminated the face of a girl wearing a tattered dress for Lucy.

"Hey, you're going to be okay; you're from Helleborus aren't you? We're here to help you and to learn what happened to the place and how to stop those who destroyed it," Lucy told her. The girl had been crying, but she had beautiful sapphire eyes, icy-blue hair, and skin nearly as white as the snow. For her age, she was likely somewhere between ten or twelve, and the wizards could sense that she had a fair sum of magic power for her age. Lucy offered her a hand, and she took it shyly.

Once Happy brought them down, Richard spoke again: "Now it is time we should reunite with our comrades and show Jellal that we've found a survivor! Oh yeah!"

* * *

Group One rendezvoused with Group Two.

"Have you found anything?" Erza asked, looking to Gray.

"We think this might be a guild banner," he replied, holding up the blood-red banner with the black firebird.

"We also found this, it's a diary, there's a bookmark with the same emblem, but it doesn't say who the diary belongs to," Juvia added, and she looked over to Fleisher who was the one who actually uncovered it.

"What about you, did you guys find anything?" Sawyer asked.

"After digging through the church's rubble, we found this magic spear with the same emblem," Macbeth replied, but it was Jellal who produced the spear, and it seemed to radiate darkness.

"Hey! Hey!" the distant voice of a shouting Natsu called out.

"We've found a survivor!" Happy followed up.

All eyes turned to Group Three. They were all running their way, and Natsu was carrying the girl over his shoulder. The other groups took off at a sprint to meet up with them, and Natsu set the girl down, with a swarm of strange people around her - some of them looking rather odd to her, like the half-naked man with scars on his abs and big ones at that, the lady wearing armor, and the man with the peculiarly angled face - she shivered where she stood, driving Meredy to drape her cloak over the girl.

"Oh, I'm not cold... In fact I use cold magic," she finally spoke, eyes opened up a bit wider and Meredy accepted the cloak back.

"Wait, don't you mean ice or snow magic?" Gray asked.

"Well, it's more like snow _and_ ice magic, but there's even more to it; folks in town nicknamed me the 'Winter Princess'... At least they did before..." she trailed off.

"What's your name?" Jellal asked her.

"Zyma Valkoinen."

"Will you tell us what happened here? We found these objects," Jellal asked her, they showed her the spear, diary, and banner, Zyma looked at the emblems and then her surroundings, and then let out a screaming wail of anguish and terror. Everyone stepped back as snow rose up and swirled around her until she dropped to her knees crying.

"Please, just take me away from here! Anywhere! Please, you'd said you'll help me!" Zyma cried as she looked over to Erza.

"Alright, we'll take you to Magnolia, to our guild hall," she replied.

Ω Ω Ω

**Alright, how do you like it so far? Tell me in the reviews on what you want to see next in upcoming chapters!**


	2. Chapter 2: New Home

**Chapter II**  
**A New Home**

On the way back to the train station, something crossed their path. It looked _vaguely _like a person as it staggered around as if intoxicated. The figure's billowing cloak was tattered and partially covered in soot.

Zyma looked up, squinted at the figure, and called out: "Nadir, is that you?"

The figure - apparently named Nadir - looked up and Zyma gasped in horror, the man's face was deformed beyond recognition! On one side of his head it looked like his skull had been caved in, and on the other side swollen and gnarled growths have sprouted making the man formerly known as Nadir look like a monster. Nadir rushed them, altering between running with just his legs and then on all fours; Zyma let out a startled yelp at the beginning of his charge and got into position to cast a spell, but Natsu took a protective stance in front of her and...

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"

The creature once known as Nadir writhed and screamed in the flames, but Zyma watched the flames as if they were the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen.

"Dragon magic, it's beautiful," Zyma muttered.

The creature fell and the others approached to investigate it.

"This thing was dead before it attacked us," Jellal spoke.

"You mean something brought a dead man to life to control his body?" Sawyer questioned.

"I'm not sure if that's really what happened, but it is necromancy - more or less," Jellal replied.

Gray grimaced and Juvia shuddered, recalling their battles with the demon guild Tartaros. Finally, Gray looked up and told them: "If we're done here, I think that it's time we get back to Magnolia."

"Yeah, this place is making my fur stand on end," Fleischer added, and a quick look at him showed that he was indeed fluffed up.

Ω Ω Ω

Zyma looked curiously at Natsu on the train, how his face was flushed and he couldn't bring himself to move.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Dragonslayers all have one crippling weakness, motion sickness. Every time he gets on something with wheels, rides on water, or has an engine he gets sick. Getting this idiot anywhere is a hassle," Gray replied.

"Though if I fly him around, or he rides on an animal that he sees as a friend, he's not bothered," Happy added.

"Then, why doesn't he just travel on horseback or constantly on some other animal? If he needs a wagon, why doesn't he just mount the animal for the trip?" Zyma asked. A wave of dumbfounded realization hit Natsu's friends! The answer was there the whole time! If it's a wagon, just let Natsu ride the animal towing it!

"Man, if he's got dragon magic, it's a real shame that he apparently doesn't have dragon wings. That would solve the train issue too," Zyma added.

"You seem to be a lot calmer now, can you tell us anything about what happened to Helleborus?" Jellal asked.

Zyma sighed and sat down to begin her tale: "They started showing up about a week ago... There were at least ten of them, but there may be more, all of them bore the emblem of the firebird. I didn't catch her name, but their leader was beautiful, she had this flaming red-violet hair and she had the brightest golden eyes I've ever seen. It was as if someone had taken molten gold and poured it into her irises. Her stare was as intense as the armored lady with you."

People glanced over to Erza, and everyone apologized for not introducing themselves. So they took a moment to tell Zyma their names and what magic they used.

Zyma continued: "She and her companions took to staying in a house, and on occasion I would see one of them in the streets, but they acted suspicious. Whenever I walked past the house they were staying in, I would often sense the lady using magic, and it was strong and dark. I was on my way to report it to someone a few days later, and that's when they attacked. They poured out of that house and started casting spells and destroying the place. I saw the golden-eyed lady cast spells on some of the people and they started fighting with their friends and neighbors to the death. All I felt was despair and a sense of doom. I made a run for it, and I guess I was the only one who made it out alive, because I hadn't seen or heard of anyone until you came along."

"Well, at least we have a description of their leader... Did you hear them say the name of their guild?" Erza asked.

"Black Phoenix," Zyma replied.

"A woman with red-violet hair and golden eyes, from the story it sounds like she can use magic to corrupt souls, and she leads a guild named Black Phoenix... _Black__ Phoenix_, I wonder if the name means something," Jellal spoke.

"There's no need to be cryptic and mysterious, Jellal, just say what's on your mind," Macbeth told him.

"Crime Sorcière was founded for the purpose of defeating dark guilds and to defeat Zeref, known as the Black Wizard. The phoenix, also known as the firebird is a symbol of rebirth or resurrection. If you put 'Black Phoenix' together with that in mind, it loosely translates to the rebirth of Zeref."

Zyma eyed Jellal.

"Somehow I don't think that they want to actually revive Zeref. He was nowhere near Helleborus when he was defeated, but perhaps they named their guild 'Black Phoenix' to resurrect an idea of his or an ideology," Lucy suggested.

"Yes, that sounds likely too. Some people might go through great lengths to figure out what he knew in the realm of resurrection and creating life," Jellal replied.

Natsu shifted as if he grew uncomfortable in his position.

"I haven't heard much about this 'Zeref' only that he was an evil wizard and he attacked Fiore with his empire a while back. What else can you tell me about him?" Zyma asked.

"You've been through enough already, we'll tell you some other time. Right now, you should probably get some rest; we've got a long trip back to Magnolia," Gray told her. She had to agree, and she leaned against the wall of the car to get some sleep.

Ω Ω Ω

After waking up and getting off the train, Zyma decided that Magnolia was beautiful, and getting to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, all eyes turned them. Some were excited, others were surprised to see the full Crime Sorcière guild was there too. Mirajane brought her a hot meal and drink, for which she was thankful. It had been a while since she last had a decent meal.

"Is there anything else that you can tell us about Black Phoenix? Even the smallest detail could be of use," Jellal asked. At the dark guild's name, Master Makarov perked up while Zyma gathered her thoughts.

"Let's see, you know their emblem, I described their leader, and you've felt their magic..."

"We've also found a spear belonging to one of them," Macbeth added.

"A spear, may I see it?" Zyma asked. Jellal showed it to her and she shuddered: "I remember another wizard now, that spear belonged to the leader's right-hand-man. He was the one who initiated the attack and started the destruction... Wait, I remember the leader say his name, only one word though: Visceral... I wouldn't be surprised if that was a fake one. He had a rather jagged scar on his jaw, I forget which side though, and he also had silver hair, though he didn't look old."

"We have a name and another description... Will that be all?" Meredy asked.

"For now at least, if I remember anything else I'll tell Erza," Zyma replied.

"Very well then, we'll stay in town for a couple days and go over what we know, hopefully we'll figure out where to go given what we've learned from you, Zyma, and your hometown. I promise that you'll eventually get justice," Jellal told her.

"That's all I'll ask from you."

Erza stepped forward and laid an armored hand on her shoulder: "And you're welcome to stay with us at Fairy Tail."

Zyma looked around at the friendly and odd faces about her: a young couple with the man having a wild mane of black hair, red eyes, and piercings on his face, and the petite girl with blue hair and an expectant mother with a baby bump showing. There was the company that brought her to this guild hall, the dwarf of a master, a wild looking bunch that called themselves the Thunder Legion, and there were a couple more talking cats. Zyma smiled, her sapphire eyes getting brighter.

"I'd like that!"

"Mirajane, Master, we have a new member!" Erza called out, and Mirajane brought the stamper, and Zyma showed her upper left arm to receive her guild mark.

While Zyma was left to get settled in, Erza followed Crime Sorcière outside, Jellal sent his guild off to find a place to stay and turned to Erza.

"I'll keep in touch, Erza," he spoke.

"One of these days we'll have to see each other under more pleasant circumstances."

They were standing so close to each other, and it was hard to tell who initiated it, but they shared a pleasant kiss.

* * *

Inside the guild hall, Levy approached Zyma: "So, do you have a place to stay until you find a space for yourself?"

"Nobody's offered so far," she replied.

"Gajeel and I have an extra room, so you're welcome to stay with us until then."

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer... So, what magic do you and Gajeel use?"

"I use solid script magic, it reflects my bookworm personality, and it has a lot of versatility. Gajeel is the Iron Dragonslayer," Levy replied. Zyma cast her gaze to Gajeel and the black exceed hovering next to him. Both man and exceed were battle scarred, but looked proud - if not a bit arrogant - to be who they are.

"I saw Natsu use dragon magic too, and it was amazing," Zyma spoke.

"The girl a little older than you over there, with the dark blue hair, her name's Wendy and she's our third dragonslayer. We also have a member who's not a true dragonslayer, but he can use the magic, his name is Laxus," Levy told her.

"That's awesome!"

"Yeah you don't want to get on the bad side of a dragonslayer, but their power isn't without drawbacks, put them on anything that qualifies as transportation and they get instant - and crippling - motion sickness," Levy added, her face turning more to an annoyed pout at the end.

"You'd think that there'd be a way to remedy that," Zyma muttered.

Levy took Zyma by the wrist and told her: "Come on, if you're going to stay with us, then I want to get you out of those tattered clothes. I'll take you shopping."

"Are you sure about that?" Gajeel asked.

"Of course, exercise will be good for me and the baby, and Zyma clearly needs some new clothes."

Clearly, Levy's parental instincts were kicking in, and that combined with her changing scent made Gajeel more protective her and other youngsters.

"Alright then, but I'm coming along too."

"Once I get to work, I'll pay you back!"

They got up to leave, but as they were heading out the door, Gray clapped a hand on Zyma's shoulder and told her: "When you get back, I'd like to see this Cold magic of yours."

"Of course, and I'd like to learn what else I can do with ice!"

* * *

During the shopping trip, it was clear that Zyma was favoring colors of black, red, blues, and silver. Her favorite outfit was somewhat similar to Natsu's, a blue-black jacket with elaborate cuffs that almost looked like gauntlets, the main cuff was silver but the trim was crimson, the jacket also had a silver color with the same crimson trim. The kilt-like garment that she wore over light blue-grey leggings was mainly the same blue-black as the jacket with crimson embroidery following the silver border, and she favored a navy blue belt. For shoes she picked a black pair of sturdy booties that she could run in. With her sky blue hair and sapphire eyes, the outfit made her features quite striking.

For a summer look, she had blue capris, black sandals, and a red shirt with black trimming.

"Thanks, these clothes make me feel much better!" Zyma told Levy and Gajeel, but now she had an appointment with Gray.

* * *

She and Gray were at the beach, looking out to the sea.

"Alright, kid, let me see what you can do," Gray told her.

Zyma looked to the sea and just walked over to the water, and without casting a spell - but while outputting magic power - she was able to freeze the water to the point she was able to cross it.

"Nice, I have to cast Ice Make Floor or Ocean in order to do that," Gray told her.

"You might be one with the cold, but with my magic, I _am_ the cold. I could cover this whole beach in a blend of ice, frost, and snow if I just put out magic power."

Gray nodded to her and then put his hands together: "Ice Make Clone!"

Then there stood an ice copy of Gray, and Gray told her: "Show me how you would freeze an opponent."

Zyma made a pushing motion and encased the clone in ice, and for an added bonus she made an incantation: "Cold magic: SPIRE!" and from the ground shot up a huge spike of ice.

"Whoa, take it easy, kid, that spell can be dangerous, and please tell me that's not how you fight!" Gray exclaimed.

"You said that you wanted to see my magic, so I thought you wanted to see my limits... Now: COLD STARE!"

For a moment, Gray felt like her eyes had frozen his very soul, that the world around him had been turned to a dead and frozen wasteland, and an increase of anxiety. What brought him back to reality was the sensation of a cold hand clapping on his upper arm.

"That's my Cold Stare spell, it freezes my opponents in their tracks, gives them a sense of isolation, and increases their fear levels. The effects don't last long, but it's enough where it allows me or an ally to strike or for me to make a getaway. I can also use my magic to numb my allies to pain. I can't treat the injury, but I can make them feel like they haven't taken a hit for a while. I can summon blizzards to the point where I can freeze the whole city and drop the temperatures down to dangerous levels - but they don't hurt me in the slightest. I am not one with the cold and the winter, Gray, I AM the cold and the winter. Cold magic: DEFENSE!"

Suddenly a ring of ice spikes - looking to impale a charging opponent - appeared around Zyma: "Cast a spell at the spikes, Gray, but make it something that you can easily defend."

So, Gray did, and the fence of spikes absorbed the power, charged it a bit, and then shot it back to him.

"If you can do an Ice Make Mirror, it might have the same effect as my defense."

"Thanks for the tip, I might have to try that sometime."

Zyma smiled cheerily and then held her hand out off to the side, and she conjured up a snowball, and then threw it at Gray, hitting him harmlessly on the abs.

"Now that's a cute trick," Gray told her.

"Thanks, but that's just a harmless snowball, like the way I can freeze water, I can conjure one of these without a spell, but I can use Cold Magic Snow-bomb to make a grenade, the effects of the detonation's strength are dependent on how much magic power I use to create it."

"So, in theory you can make a snow-bomb that can destroy a whole city?"

"Yes, but I don't think I'm _that _powerful; though I can definitely demolish a building... Snow-bomb isn't a spell I use too often."

"Tell me something, Zyma, if your Cold magic is so powerful, how come you ran away from Black Phoenix? Why didn't you fight them?" Gray asked.

"They were too strong for me, they were too scary too, they killed, they corrupted people, and used them as puppets." Zyma replied.

Gray nodded to her in understanding. After that, Gajeel and Levy came over: "Zyma, it's time to go home!" she called out.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow, kid," Gray told her. She gave him a quick nod and ran for Gajeel and Levy.

* * *

"Here we are, home sweet home!" Gajeel announced. It was a charming house with a living room full of books, a quaint sun-filled kitchen where there were potted herbs growing for potions, and they showed Zyma the guest room where she'll be staying.

As they were having dinner that night, Zyma looked up and spoke: "This makes me happy, it numbs the fear and despair I felt at Helleborus... Gajeel, Levy, have you ever felt as scared as I do?"

Levy set her fork down: "There was one war between Fiore and the Alvarez Empire, led by the Black Wizard Zeref and on top of that we had to battle the dragon Acnologia."

"Will you tell me the story?"

"After dinner, and as you can probably tell, it does have a happy ending," Levy replied.

Zyma helped with the cleaning after dinner and then sat to listen to Levy's story. She told of the great battles between the wizard guilds and Zeref's elite, the Spriggan 12. She told of how Gajeel very nearly died, but then Gajeel took over to elaborate what really happened to him and how they found each other again. They brought up that Erza's mother happened to be the world's first dragonslayer and that her magic had transformed her into a dragon. Apparently, she managed to hold off giving birth to Erza until she regained a human body. Zyma was quite fascinated with this part, and was a bit sad for both Erza and her mother when she heard of how the dragonslayer died. They also told of Natsu's origins, it got out that Natsu is the younger brother of the Black Wizard, once killed during a dragon attack, and Zeref persevered in bringing him back to life, even when it ended up with Zeref suffering a terrible curse.

"So this evil wizard was Natsu's big brother, and Zeref was willing to put everything on the line to bring his brother back to life?" Zyma questioned.

"Yes, but he also brought Natsu back to life as a means to end his suffering. Zyma, do keep in mind that Zeref isn't someone you should look up to. He's an example of what _not_ to become."

"Of course Levy, I don't want to be cursed, and I have a respect for life and its cycle."

They added details about the connection between Zeref and Master Mavis, this also fascinated Zyma; and then the story was concluded with the defeat of Zeref, his empire, and Acnologia.

Zyma yawned with exhaustion: "Thanks for the story, it was really intense and awesome - inspirational even, and I don't feel so alone anymore."

"You're welcome, and you should probably get to bed now."

"Yeah, good night now," Zyma replied.

Ω Ω Ω

**Please tell me what you think of Zyma and what else you'd like to see. Though I'll admit, I've got big plans for these characters!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Job

**Chapter III**  
**The Job**

The next day, Zyma made a run for the Guild Hall after breakfast, and wandered straight up to the request board.

"If you find one you'd like, just bring it to me and I'll let the client know that you're coming. Though perhaps it would be best for you to find a teammate or two. Sure, you'll have to split the reward, but you'll at least have someone to cover your back," Mirajane told her.

"Oh, I just wanted something that'll help me pay back Gajeel and Levy for taking me in for a while and for the new clothes they've given me, and maybe earn something extra."

Gray and Juvia approached her: "I'd like to see some more of your magic, kid, and you shouldn't be going off on your own. Juvia, Fleischer, and I can go with you."

"Juvia, what magic do you use?" Zyma asked.

"I use water magic, even my body is made up of water."

"Oh dear, if you're really made up of water, I might accidentally turn you into ice with my Cold magic."

"Would, uh, would you know how to thaw her?" Gray asked. Zyma nodded. She returned her attention to the request board and picked a job paying J50,000 for tracking a missing husband in the mountainous forest outside Oak Town, where the former guild Phantom Lord used to be.

"Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy would be good for this job, their super senses make them excellent at tracking," Gray told her.

"We'll be good enough, the forest outside Helleborus made for excellent hunting grounds, and criminals would often flee town through it. I've learned how to tack," Zyma replied, her voice taking on a different tone. It didn't change much, but there was something in the tone to suggest that the client's request would be no different than tracking game for the table. Zyma took the flyer and showed it to Mirajane.

"Alright, I'll send word to the client that you're on your way, and you've got a good team to have your back," she replied.

"May I have some juice for the road, please?" Zyma asked, her voice returning to a sweeter tone. She pulled out a few coins to pay for it and Mirajane served her. Zyma had her drink and soon headed off with Juvia and Gray.

Ω Ω Ω

"So when did you decide that your husband might be in trouble?" Zyma asked the client, a middle-aged woman with muted green hair.

"He's always been a sure-footed hiker, quite vigilant too, and he's never failed to come home on time before now. That's why I'm offering J50,000 for someone to bring him back to me or to at least find out what's happened to him."

"We'll do whatever we can to bring him back to you," Gray told the client.

"What does your husband look like?" Fleischer asked.

The Client pulled out a picture of a middle-aged man with fabulous flowing raven hair with grey streaks coming from his temples, and he also had a bright green Phantom Lord Guild emblem on his neck.

"He was a member of Phantom Lord?" Juvia questioned.

"Wait, you were a member, you didn't know him?" Gray asked

"What gives, Juvia?" Fleischer added.

"Phantom Lord didn't have the focus of bonding and friendships that Fairy Tail has. To me, Phantom Lord was a place where I would be accepted for who I was and given the freedom to become the best version of myself. That being said, I didn't get to know everyone of my guild. It was also a very large guild on top of everything else. Still, he might recognize me."

"What's his name again? The flyer doesn't give it," Zyma asked.

"His name is Ruki, and he's a Rock-Make wizard," the client replied.

"Does he still have the Phantom Lord emblem on his neck, it'll make for a good means to identify him if something's happened him?" Zyma asked.

The client started weeping as a flash of images passed through her mind of what could've happened to Ruki.

"That wasn't very sensitive of you," Gray told Zyma sternly.

"It's worth it to go into this with realistic expectations. Ruki went into the forest and he hasn't come home when he's expected. As much as I want to bring him home to her well and and in one piece, it's safe to assume that something happened to him, and that something likely wasn't good... Please, ma'am, I didn't mean to upset you, so will you please tell me if Ruki still wears the Phantom Lord emblem?"

"Yes, even after nearly a decade since they've disbanded... We met while he was on a job, and I think that's why he's sentimental to it."

"Do you know his favorite places to go in the forest?" Gray asked.

"He seemed to favor a lake and a cave, but I can't remember which ones, and there are several."

"Either way, you're going to find out what happened to Ruki," Zyma told the client.

Ω Ω Ω

The client showed them to the forest path that Rui always started his hikes on, and gave them an old shoe belonging to Ruki, but that was all the remaining help that she could provide.

As for the forest, it was dense and dark.

"This place is spooky," Fleischer spoke as he shrank into Gray's back and nuzzled his jacket.

"You'll be fine, Fleischer, you're with us," Gray told him

"I find this place rather tranquil, and perhaps that's why Ruki likes coming here," Zyma stated.

"You _like_ dark and creepy places?" Fleischer asked.

"Your friends, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy found me tucked in a cave. I just feel more secure in the dark, it's cozy to me."

There was a pause as Gray, Juvia, and Fleischer cast glances to each other. They stayed quiet until they came to a fork in the path. Zyma knelt to examine the trail, and the old shoe. The fading prints on the trail were of identical size, and the sole of the old shoe and the prints both reflected where Ruki distributed his weight when walking, and he took a turn to the right. Of course, it was the darker of the two paths.

"This hike is going to take a while, given the lack of rain recently, but the amount of wind this area has had, my estimate is that Ruki was here a week ago," Zyma told the others.

Indeed, it was a good few hours of hiking - following Ruki's trail - before they came across anything, and it was the remains of a campsite near a lake. There were prints that he'd gone to the lake for activities several times, a stone shelter - clearly made from Ruki's magic- and spare clothing. There were also tracks and disturbed foliage showing which paths Ruki had taken.

"Fleischer, these tracks are all fading and I can't tell which one Ruki used last, do you think that you can sniff him out a bit?" Zyma asked.

"Do I look like a bloodhound to you!?" the exceed exclaimed with his fur standing on end.

"No, you look like a cat, and cats hunt on their own. So I would imagine that they have just as good tracking abilities as a dog. However, you're smarter than most cats too, and I'm willing to bet that you're a very smart exceed too. C'mon Fleischer, will you please lend me a hand?"

"Will you give me some chicken if I do a good job?" Fleischer asked.

"Chicken?" Zyma questioned.

"I love chicken, it's a miracle meat! You can do whatever you want with chicken and it will still taste delicious! Though the same could be said with a lot of birds."

"I'll get you some chicken when we return to the guild!" Zyma told him.

Fleischer leapt from Gray's back and then assumed his battle form: a winged lilac tiger with a black mask. He sniffed the area and then began following the path with the freshest scent.

* * *

They followed this trail until it started getting dark out, it came to the point where they could no longer continue the search safely, and to they dipped into their bags, pulled out some trail food, and had their dinner before rolling out their bedrolls to get some sleep. Zyma used her magic by touching the ground and casting: "Cold Magic: Web." From her hand, frozen fractals of frost crept across the ground.

"This will wake me up if something thinking of ill intents approaches us while we sleep. It also stings the target so they'll shout in pain too," Zyma explained, and she then rested her head.

Juvia looked over to Gray: "Why would a girl her age have that spell already mastered?"

"Why are you asking me? I don't know her life," Gray replied. He then tucked in while facing Juvia, and Fleischer cuddled up to his chest. Remarkably, Gray hadn't stripped during the whole day.

_Oh, my beloved Gray looks so precious while he's sleeping!_ Juvia thought before she tucked in too. She gave Gray a quick kiss on the forehead shortly before going to sleep.

Peaceful slumber only lasted for a few hours. Zyma's eyes snapped open when her trap was set off and the promised sting had the visitor howling in pain. Everyone jumped out of bed and assumed their battle stances, but the visitor immediately retreated.

"It's following Ruki's trail!" Fleischer exclaimed. Without another word, they started running after the visitor. From the way the visitor ran, it appeared to be human, if not human-like.

"Cold Magic: FREEZE!" Zyma called out, and the visitor was encased in ice.

The night made it hard to see what Zyma had entrapped in her ice. Rather than waiting on someone to light something, she touched the ice, closed her eyes, and extended her magic power into the trap. Only to step back and look to Gray and Juvia quizzically.

"I think this might be Ruki, but he doesn't feel like I would expect from the man in the picture we were shown. Fleischer did you pick up a fresh scent?" Zyma asked.

Fleischer was hovering in the air, he looked down in disappointment: "I wasn't thinking of scents when we were chasing whoever's in the ice."

Zyma looked back to the ice and with a snap of her fingers, it broke and was reduced to a small flurry of snowflakes.

The thing inside the ice let out a shudder and shiver: "Fuh, damn that was cold!" he looked to the silhouettes of his captors and he just went off: "Please, don't take me back there! I promise, I swear, I won't tell anyone!"

"What are you talking about, and who are you?" Gray asked.

"Wha...? You don't sound like them... I am Ruki, and that's all you're getting out of me!"

"RUKI! Your wife hired us to bring you back home and to find out what happened to you, she's been worried sick!" Zyma exclaimed.

"Ah-uh, there's no way I'm going _anywhere_ with you! How am I to know that you're speaking the truth?" Ruki asked.

"Ruki, I am Juvia Lockser, former member of the Element Four of Phantom Lord."

Ruki paused and thought for a moment: "_Juvia_? Is it true? It's hard to tell in this night."

"The Juvia you know of has a body made entirely of water, try striking me."

So Ruki took a swing at the shadowed figure speaking to him, his hand passed right through her head and his hand came out soaking wet. He let out a sigh of relief and then bust out laughing: "Oh the gods are looking out for me after all! JUVIA! It's good to hear that you're doing well, though we've never really had the chance to meet at Phantom Lord. Last I've heard, you're in Fairy Tail, how're those rowdies treating you?"

"They're like family to me. I'm here to help our newest member with a job, and so is my darling Gray," Juvia replied.

"Now that we've found you, we can take you back to your wife," Zyma stated.

"No! I can't go back to her! Not yet, there's wizard work to be done in these woods!" Ruki exclaimed.

"She's really worried for you," Fleischer explained.

"Let's take you back home and you can talk to us about it. Maybe we can help you out afterwards. Right now we need to take you home to finish our job," Zyma told him.

Ruki sighed and replied: "I don't want to risk _them_ following me to my home!"

"There's nothing to worry about, we're among Fairy Tail's finest, we'll get you home safely," Gray told him, and they started heading back to his house. All the while, Ruki was looking over his shoulder.

They were nearing the edge of the forest when Ruki heard something off, turned his head, and then let out a girlish shriek!

Ω Ω Ω

**I'll make this cliffhanger worth your while! Please review to motivate me!**


	4. Chapter 4: Stories and Fluff

**Chapter IV**

**Stories and Fluff**

"Ice Make Geyser!" Gray shouted as he turned about and saw another figure approaching them. It was captured and raised into the air, and now that there was enough light for the group to see what was in it.

Ruki looked in and shuddered. Encased in the ice was a deformed person with lizard-like features. On the iced captive was a scarf with an emblem of a salamander and smoking embers - at least that's what it looked like.

Ignoring the man's fearful expression, Zyma asked him: "Ruki, sir, can you tell us anything about this freak?"

Ruki looked down to her, her bright sapphire eyes devoid of emotion - as was the rest of her face - a little unnerved, Ruki looked back to the ice geyser and replied: "They're the reason I didn't get home on time. They are the Salamander Embers dark guild. I know that this one was called Iggy at their camp. I just happened upon them while I was on my way to one of my favorite caves. From what I gathered, they follow a larger dark guild. Salamander Embers will take other hikers for experiments, and they practice magic that will alter their bodies. There's a few of them with cat ears and tails, Iggy is a lizard, you get the picture. They have an exclusive interest in black magic such as absolute mind control and necromancy and another in genetic rewriting. I spied on them for a while until they saw and caught me. They held me captive in want to do experiments"

Zyma paused for a moment, her eyes now turning to a deep and turbulent sea of extreme emotions. This was going to be another unheard-of guild, but it seems that this one would have ties to Black Phoenix.

The flashbacks hit, the destruction and death she had seen, the cruelty of Black Phoenix, her inability to protect her neighbors, and the sudden solitude as a lone survivor. The air stirred around Zyma, snowflakes of a flurry appeared, and the ground began frosting over.

"Zyma," Gray spoke, he put a hand on her shoulder, just as the images only got more horrifying. The touch shocked Zyma and she let out a distressed scream while outputting magical power, turning her surroundings into a fabulous winter wonderland!

Gray and Ruki looked about in shock, though Ruki was shivering furiously to the point where they could be called convulsions, Fleischer was covered in snow and clung to Gray's back, but Juvia was as still as a statue.

"Hey, Juvia, are you alright? Juvia?" Gray asked. When she didn't respond, he tried again while waving his hand in front of her face, when she still didn't move, he had his suspicions, but they weren't confirmed until he took her hand and felt that Juvia's body had been frozen solid!

"Zyma, you've turned Juvia into ice, you've got to thaw her!" Gray exclaimed. Zyma came back to her senses, and with no sense of panic, shock, or really any emotion at all, she approached Juvia and took her hand in hers and the magic she used as if she was pulling the cold out of Juvia, she gasped and shivered, but Zyma kept pulling the cold out of her until she was finally warm enough to stop shivering.

"How did you do that?" Fleischer asked.

"This is actually how I became a Cold Magic wizard," Zyma replied.

"I believe that there's a story here," Gray stated as they continued back to Ruki's house: "I would like to hear it."

"I was only five when I initially developed the power. My dad and some of his friends were going out for a hunt and I wanted to go. They said that I could come along so long as I did what I was told. I promised, and I went. Unfortunately, a massive blizzard eventually swept over us and the temperatures dropped to dangerous levels. We had few provisions to last us a long time," Zyma began, her eyes looking distant: "I was born with a lot of magical power, but before this trip I was too young to really hone it in on a particular type of magic. However, as we were huddled inside a cave - trying to wait out the storm - I saw that the hunters were scared and freezing. The cold... It bit our skin, tore though our clothing, it brought full grown men to slow their pursuit of the hunt and even brought them down to their knees, and awakened fear in those hunters. I knew I had to do something with the cold or we would all freeze like I froze Juvia - only worse, she thawed and came back to life. I put on a brave face, marched to the mouth of the cave and I embraced the cold: _'Take it in' _I told myself. I extended my magic into the air, taking in the air, snow, and ice, and pulled it all inside my body. I didn't feel like I warmed up or froze, I managed to take in the blizzard and become an elemental for the winter. With this power, I was able to aid my father and other hunters."

"So you just pulled the blizzard inside your body and you've been able to control winter ever since?" Fleischer questioned.

"_Control_, isn't quite the word I'd use. As you can tell from what just happened from my moment of panic, I made a winter wonderland. The winter has a tendency to take over my surroundings when I output the smallest fraction of magic power, especially when I feel intense emotions. I do apologize for what I did to you Ms. Juvia, please forgive my lapse in composure," Zyma replied, she even bowed to Juvia, but her flat tone failed to carry much in the way of sincerity. The apology sounded as if she was repeating rehearsed lines for what she was supposed to say in this situation rather than a legit expression of remorse and want for forgiveness - as if Zyma didn't care whether or not Juvia forgave her. Both Gray and Juvia took note of this.

* * *

When they finally reached Ruki's home, his wife was overjoyed to see him, she ran out and threw her arms around him, but then proceeded to chew him out: 'You had me worried our of my wits!' 'You could've died or had been hurt had I not hired these wizards!'

"Thank you for bringing this fool back to me. Here's your reward!" she told them, and she handed Zyma the J50,000.

They let the wife know about what Ruki had encountered and that they should let the magic council and other guilds know about the Salamander Ember guild, and once that was said, it was time for them to depart.

On the way to the train station, Zyma put her charm back on and told her companions: "Thanks for the help and the company... How much is your cut?"

"This was your job and you need to get yourself settled in Magnolia," Juvia told her.

"Well, take J10,000 anyway, consider it compensation for getting frozen. I'll make an effort to not let it happen to you again," she replied, handing Juvia the cash.

Ω Ω Ω

Back in Magnolia, Erza was out for a shopping trip when she met up with a blue-haired man.

"Jellal, I thought that you would've left by now!" she exclaimed.

"We have no leads where Black Phoenix might've gone, and there's no sense moving if it's only going to take us further away from them. Besides, I found out that you and I have some business together."

"You're just telling me this now?" Erza asked.

"Will you walk with me? We can stop at the bakery along the way," Jellal replied. Now that he mentioned it, a piece of strawberry cake sounded quite yummy right now.

The aforementioned bakery smelled heavenly of sweets and fresh bread.

"Good afternoon Ms. Erza!" the baker announced, he then looked to Jellal and asked him: "Ah, Sir, are you ready to pick up your order?" Jellal merely nodded and pulled out the cash.

"Please excuse me for a moment Erza, and I'll get back to you," the baker spoke, but she was already busy looking at his displays. The baker went to the back and brought out a happy little box for Jellal. He thanked the baker and turned to Erza.

"So, what did you get?" she asked.

"Open it and find out," he replied holding out the box. Erza looked him in the eyes but didn't get much from him, he held an aloof and straight face, so she looked back down at the box and opened it. Inside there was a beautiful, and no doubt delicious, strawberry cake, but sticking out from the icing was a pretty ring with a bright and fiery ruby, and written on the cake was: _Erza, will you marry me?_

Erza froze, and looked up to see Jellal's face glowing red. Knowing that this was true, she set the cake aside and threw herself to him with a loud squeal and cried tears of joy as she whispered in his ear: "Yes."

Just as Jellal took the ring and wiped off the icing to put the ring on Erza's finger, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy ran inside.

"I heard a scream, what's wrong? What's going on?" Natsu asked.

"Nothing's wrong, I was just so happy," Erza replied, getting a grip on herself, and she showed the trio the ring.

"Erza and Jellal are in love!" Happy exclaimed, leaping into the air with his wings spread out.

"Yes," Jellal replied shyly, his face was still red with a nervous blush, but there was a smile on his face. At first Lucy and Natsu were dumbfounded, but Natsu snapped out of it: "That's awesome," he told them.

Erza and Jellal looked shyly to each other, now she had a bit of a blush going on too.

"We should probably leave them alone now," Lucy told Natsu and Happy as she started dragging them out of the bakery.

"You're right, we gotta let the guild hear about this!" Natsu declared, and he suddenly took off running. ZOOM! Lucy and Happy hurried after him.

"NO WAIT, NATSU!" Jellal shouted, looking to chase after them too, but Erza held up her arm to stop him.

"Let them go Jellal, I don't intend on letting this stay a secret."

Jellal eased up and looked down to Erza: "Perhaps you're right. We've got other things to take care of, but what would you like to do right now?"

"Eat the cake," she replied.

* * *

When they returned to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, they also found Crime Sorcière there too, also Zyma had returned from her first job.

Fairy Tail cheered and raised their booze when Erza walked in with Jellal, and Crime Sorcière applauded.

While they were being swarmed with cheery faces, Zyma approached Gajeel and Levy to give them a cut of her reward to pay them back for the clothes they got her.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" Levy told her in her sweet voice.

"It's a thank you, and besides why spend your earnings on a stranger when you've got a child on the way to worry about. However, I would still like to stay in your guest room if that's still available," Zyma replied.

"That's fine so long as you earn your keep, help around the place when you can," Gajeel told her.

Gray and Juvia made their way to the bar where Gramps was sitting with a mug of beer.

"So, how did Zyma do on her first job?" Gramps asked.

"She did pretty well, though she did have one incident where her magic turned me into an ice sculpture," Juvia replied.

"What happened?"

"She got spooked and turned her surroundings into a winter wonderland... Gramps, her power, she has so much and she has trouble keeping it contained... but her power can compare to a wizard saint," Gray replied.

"Yes, I can sense her power, it is almost too strong for a girl her age," Makarov replied.

"There's one more thing, when she's not putting on her sweet girl face, she seems as cold as her magic."

Zyma ordered an ice cream soda from Mirajane and then locked eyes with Macao and Wakaba.

"Hey little lady, we've heard about you!" Wakaba greeted.

"Come on over and introduce yourself," Macao told her. They introduced themselves, and Macao held out a hand to shake hers.

"My name's Zyma," she told them, taking Macao's hand, but when her skin touched his, he let out a yelp: "YOW! Your hand's as cold as death!"

_"Cold as DEATH"? _Zyma thought, and the words kept repeating in her head. She, the master of cold, hadn't heard that saying before, but if it deals with the cold, she can connect it to her powers. This could get interesting, but she would have to do some extensive reading. Perhaps she'd also better read up on other forms of magic that interest her. Yeah, Gray's Maker magic was great for helping her to refine her talents with ice, but the dragon magic she saw was awesome!

Gajeel approached her: "Hey, kid, Levy and I are headed back home, you comin' with us?"

Of course Levy had an extensive library, she could start there: "Yes sir!" Zyma called back in her sweet girl voice.

Ω Ω Ω

**Let me hear what you want to see next and how you're enjoying the story! **


	5. Chapter 5: Zyma's Challenge

**Chapter V**

**Zyma's Challenge**

The next morning, Zyma paid her first visit to the public bathhouse where some of the girls were going. Gajeel and Levy showed her the way there right after breakfast. Gajeel would've preferred a natural hot spring but the public bathhouse made for a close second.

Levy greeted Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Carla, and Cana were also there.

While the other ladies were busy chatting, Zyma undressed shyly, and was hesitant to follow the other girls in the bath.

"Aren't you coming in?" Wendy asked.

"The water's lovely," Carla added.

"It's not the water I'm worried about," Zyma replied.

"Hey, there's no problem, we're all girls here, there's no need to be shy," Cana told her and she took a swig from her flask.

"It's not that either, it's more because it's already so steamy in here." Zyma told her.

"Yeah, it feels great!" Cana declared.

Clearly they were missing Zyma's point, but she calmly took a spot by Wendy. The water gave a hiss and a huge cloud of steam rose around the Cold Magic Mage. The steam around the tub was already thick, and Zyma just turned it into a pea soup fog!

"This is why I was a bit hesitant," Zyma explained. She reclined: "Kitty, you're right, the water is lovely."

"Oh, this is Carla, and I'm Wendy Marvel. I don't think we've really met, haven't we?"

"I saw you but we didn't get the chance to say hello. I'm Zyma Valkoinen and I'm a Cold Magic wizard."

"That sounds interesting. I use Sky magic, enchantments, and I'm a Sky Dragonslayer."

Zyma perked up: "I know that Natsu and Gajeel are Dragonslayers too, and I find that I'm quite intrigued with your type of magic."

"What would you like to know about it?"

"I would like to see how it measures against my magic. Mostly, I just want to see how it all works... For now, I think there's some real girl talk to get started on," Zyma replied.

"That's right, Erza just got engaged!" Levy declared.

"Yeah, way to go, Erza! Cheers!" Cana announced, and she took a gulp from her flask.

Erza blushed and seemed a bit speechless.

"So, any ideas for a wedding? I'm willing to bet that you'll have the biggest cake in the world just so you can cut it with a sword," Lucy spoke.

"Yeah, that does sound nice."

"What about a dress? It's not really proper to get married in armor," Wendy spoke.

"I've worn dresses before, but not much in the way of grand ball gowns, that might be nice," Erza replied.

"I think that you'd look lovely in one, Erza," Levy told her.

* * *

Girl talk lasted for a while, but then everyone wanted to dry up and head over to the guild.

When Zyma stepped inside, Master Makarov called her over and told her that he'd like to talk with her alone for a moment. He took a mug of beer and showed Zyma into a small room.

"Gray's told me that you did well on your first job," Makarov stated.

"The client was satisfied," she replied coolly.

"Yes, she was, but Gray also told me a few things that have me worried about you and for you."

"Was it what I did to Juvia?"

"That's only one thing. You did make a mistake by freezing her, but you helped her as soon as you could, apologized, and told her that you'd work to make sure that it didn't happen again. However, I was told that you showed little in the way of concern for Juvia, and that your apology sounded more like rehearsed lines rather than a sign of remorse. There was also the fact that when you lost your composure, you turned the land around you into the winter that froze Juvia... and Gray's told me that the strength of your power is comparable to a wizard saint. That's what worries me."

"Master, there's nothing I can do about the level of power I have. Believe me, I am still learning, and I want to learn all I can about magic: history of certain types, how I can better myself as a wizard, and maybe even how to develop new types," Zyma replied.

"Child, my wizards are free to explore magic however they wish, but I think that it would be best to you to take a few days to get to know everyone. Though you're staying with Gajeel and Levy, have you really bonded with them? You came to Fairy Tail with your family and home gone from this world, but here you have the chance to gain a new family."

"_A new family_?" Zyma repeated.

"Yes... My Fairy Tail kids call me Gramps, haven't you heard?"

Zyma looked Master Makarov in the eyes and replied: "I haven't noticed. Not yet at least."

"They do, and like a parent I worry about them when they're not around, I give them advise when they ask for it, I'll protect them if they're in danger, and if I see that one of them is bound toward a path of darkness then I'll do what I can to redirect them back into the light."

"Master, do you think I'd go down the path of darkness?"

"Right now I'm trying to figure who you are, Zyma. Still, I'll ask you to do this. Stay at the guild for a while and get to know the wizards, get to know your new family," Master Makarov told her, he then added: "Tell me, what sparked that incident?"

"We met a dark guild, Salamander Ember, and judging by the name, I had reason to suspect that they might be allied to Black Phoenix. The next thing I knew, I was having flashbacks and the forest had been turned into winter... I don't normally lose my composure like that, and - Master - I developed my magic as a means to save those I care about," Zyma replied.

"Thank you, but I still think it wise for you to make some friends, you are dismissed."

Zyma nodded to him and then returned to the tavern part of the hall and walked right up to Gray.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"I was hoping that you'd give me another ice-make lesson."

"Sure thing, but not right now, I'll come find you when I'm ready. Juvia and I are going to take a small job pretty quick."

Zyma gave a nod of acceptance and left them be, and turned her away, her eyes falling on Wendy, she was only a little older than Zyma, so perhaps they could make good friends. There weren't many others in the guild their age.

"Hey Wendy."

"Zyma, hi, what's up?"

"I'm just saying 'hello' and I noticed that you're the only one around my age here."

"Well, there's also Romeo, he's a fire wizard, but not like Natsu, though that's because Natsu is probably the best Dragonslayer."

"Now don't say that, child, you are a perfectly capable Dragonslayer and enchantress. Natsu can't do enchantments and he can be a destructive lunkhead, you've got more smarts than the Salamander," Carla told her.

"Oh, I don't think Natsu's dumb, but I do think that his impulsive nature gets him into a lot of trouble. If he kicked that habit he might appear smarter, like Gajeel, he'll take a moment to stop and think."

"I'm not looking to see who the strongest Dragonslayer is, and as far as I'm concerned anyone with the power to take down a dragon is pretty strong," Zyma stated.

Wendy gave her a smile and invited her to sit down.

"So, how did you end up joining the guild?" Zyma asked Wendy. Wendy then went into detail about how she aided in battles against a guild known as Oracion Seis. The day was long and hard, but eventually they stopped the devise known as Nirvana from destroying her former guild. However, it turned out that her guild was really all specters of the Nirvids. After everything, the guild vanished, leaving her alone with Carla, and Erza already welcomed her into the Fairy Tail Guild.

"That was a bittersweet story for you," Zyma stated.

"Yeah, I suppose it was."

"So, what are dragons like?" Zyma asked, trying to change the subject.

"I was raised by one, as were Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting and Rogue from Sabertooth. They can be pretty scary, but if the dragon is like my mother - Grandeeney - they're amazing! They taught us our Dragonslayer magic."

"Do you have to be taught by a dragon to use Dragonslayer magic?" Zyma asked while using a tone to suggest excited curiosity.

"No, there are some out there who have Dragonslayer lacrima implanted in their bodies, but I've also met a man who said that he was self-taught," Wendy replied.

_Self-taught Dragonslayer. _Zyma thought.

"Rumor has it already that your Cold magic is pretty strong too," Wendy stated.

"It is, I would actually like to see how I measure up to you in terms of combat."

"There'll be no frivolous fighting! Wendy is a sensible lady who'll only fight if certain circumstances are met. If you want to pick fights like some uncouth ruffian, then I'm sure that Natsu and Gajeel will be happy to oblige you, and their exceeds - Happy and Panther Lily - will be there to cheer them on." Carla snapped

A couple seconds later, Happy swaggered up while holding a fish: "Are you ladies talking about me?"

"It was only a brief mention, but it seems that Zyma would fancy a fight against Natsu." Carla replied.

"Oh, Natsu will pick a fight with anybody, especially if your name is Laxus, Gildarts, Gray, Gajeel, or Erza. Heck, if you say that you'd bet that you're more powerful than him, I'm sure that'll fire him up, but you'll want to take the fight outside," Happy told Zyma.

"Of course, I like this Guild Hall, I wouldn't want to accidentally destroy it!"

Zyma got up from her bench, conjured up a decent-sized snowball, zoned in on Natsu chowing down on a meal at the bar, she threw the snowball, and it struck him square on the back of the head.

With fire in his eyes Natsu jumped from his seat: "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR GRAY?! YOU WANNA FIGHT, THEN FIGHT ME!"

"What the hell are you talking about you idiot? I didn't do anything!"

"THEN WHO ELSE THREW THAT SNOWBALL AT ME?!"

"IT WASN'T GRAY, IT WAS _ME_ NATSU!" Zyma shouted, and all faces were turned to her.

"Oh, you think that you're just going to get away with that, Zyma?"

"No sir, Natsu... It has just occurred to me that I'm a stronger wizard than you! There's just no way that _any_ fire wizard - Dragonslayer or not - can match my Cold Magic!" Zyma replied with a big smile on her face and her eyes shining in glee.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Natsu shouted.

Zyma bent down to retrieve Happy and whispered to him: "Support me, and I'll give you all the fish I can catch in a day," Happy's eyes lit up with joy and a primal appetite as he nodded, then Zyma turned him so he faced Natsu: "Happy also agrees with me!"

"ALRIGHT, YOU WANNA FIGHT, WELL I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!" Natsu shouted.

"Let's go outside then," Zyma told him, and they headed out to the beach, but Zyma ran towards the water and cast: "Cold Magic: FREEZE!" and a large portion of the water froze solid, forming an excellent sparring ground. However, following after Zyma, Happy, and Natsu was the rest of the guild.

"C'mon Natsu, show me that famous fire magic of yours!" Zyma called out.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" he shouted, but Zyma blocked that with: "Cold Magic: Defense!" Her ice absorbed his fire and then shot it back towards him, but Natsu was swift enough to dodge it.

"Awesome move, Zyma!" Happy cheered.

"YOU'RE REALLY ROUTING FOR HER?!"

"She promised me all the fish she can catch, and she's certain to bring them to me raw!"

To further prove Happy's point, Zyma channeled her magic into the ice floor they were fighting on and then shot the fish she had trapped straight up into the air. They flopped as they flew, and Happy's eyes shone like stars as he flew to catch all of them.

Natsu barred his teeth, angry over Happy routing against him and for Zyma being a jerk, with a quick jet of flame from his feet he launched himself into the air. Zyma cast a spell, but Natsu didn't see or feel anything: "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

What he ended up punching was a thick and invisible wall of ice.

Natsu cracked the wall, but he nearly ended up breaking his hand when he punched it, he was in enough pain to start rolling on the frozen floor.

With a wave of her hand, the invisible wall was reduced to a flurry of snow: "How'd you like my invisible wall, Natsu? Well, I'll let you lay there and recover for a bit while I do come ice sculpting and hand Happy some more fish."

Natsu growled in his frustrated way, while Zyma shot more fish out from the ice for Happy to catch, she ran in circles around Natsu, forming a rounded staircase. She was almost 100 feet up when Natsu recovered and he started chasing after her.

She waited for him at the top, looking patient and showing no sign of aggression. She almost seemed relaxed when Natsu made it to the top.

"What the hell's wrong with you? Is this how you treat your friends? Do you really think this is a good idea, a good impression to make on your new guild? Fairy Tail wizards are your family!"

"This isn't about me, friends, or family, Natsu, all I want out of this is for you to show me your magic. I was quite impressed with it back at the ruins of Helleborus. I even made this battle ground so we don't have to worry too much about holding back and our guild mates getting caught up in the crossfire. I just want to see how my magic measures up against yours," Zyma replied.

"So you want to see a Dragonslayer in action? Very well, with the flames of my right hand and the flames on my left, PUT THEM TOGETHER AND - AAAAAHHHHH!"

Zyma had turned the stairs into a slide. Now the stairs were about 100 feet high, but with the circle they had a distance of 300 feet, and poor Natsu started getting motion sick at about 20 feet down, but at least the slide was fast.

Again, Zyma let Natsu recover before doing anything to attack him.

"Well, I was just about to show you my Brilliant Flame, but I can show it to you again!" Natsu told her, and his hands ignited again.

"Go ahead, but you're only going to make things worse for you."

"FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME!"

Zyma dodged his attack, so it ended up cracking the ice, and now Natsu was on an ice floe that was rocking like a boat.

"I warned you..." Zyma trailed off, and she froze the water again.

They continued their duel with Natsu showing his Brilliant Flame and Wing attack, while Zyma blocked and evaded them.

"I believe I've seen enough, thank you Natsu!" Zyma declared

"That's all! Come on and fight me!"

"Do you want to get motion sickness? I'll do it, Natsu!"

Natsu agreed to drop the fight with that threat: "Jerk," he muttered.

When they reached the beach, Zyma turned and bowed to Natsu: "I apologize for making you mad, and I thank you for showing me your magic, it's very impressive."

"You could've just asked me for a demonstration!"

"Then how would I have been able to show you more of my power?"

* * *

Everyone had returned to the guild hall, and Happy was there with a large pile of fish, a stuffed belly, and a huge smile on his face. However, Jellal and Erik were also there.

Erza walked up to her fiance - that was a new thought for her - and she asked: "Are you here to tell me that you're leaving?"

"Your master has told me that Zyma encountered a possible lead around Oak Town, members from another dark guild, and so we're heading out that way to investigate, but I promise that I'll stay in touch."

Erik went over to Zyma at the bar, but he really went up to her because Kinana - his girlfriend - was with her.

"How're you doing?" he asked.

"I'm still getting used to this place, but so far they've been good for me."

Erik stood at a pause, looking at her, and then he noticed something, he could hear it, Zyma's heart only beat once every three seconds, it was cold, her body was cold, but it wasn't like she was shivering. No, even her mind was cold.

"Erik, come on, we need to be going now," Jellal told him.

"Oh, I was waiting on you and Scarlet to finish making love eyes at each other."

"We're done."

"Bye Erik, bye Jellal, I hope you come back safely!" Zyma called out, doing her best to sound like a chipper young lady, but Erik could hear that something was forced into it.

Once Jellal and Erik left, Mirajane approached Zyma and asked her: "Would you like to try a blood orange? Someone brought them as an appreciation gift; they're healthy and delicious," she held out one of the fruits with a skin slightly darker and redder than the standard orange and deep red flesh. Zyma accepted it and she tried a slice. As soon as the juice burst over her tongue, her eyes lit up with true delight as she exclaimed: "YUMMY! TONIGHT, I SHALL FEAST ON BLOOD... oranges!"

She proceeded to gobble up the blood orange with a zeal akin to Erza with cake.

Ω Ω Ω

**Have you folks ever HAD a blood orange? They're delicious, one of my favorite fruits, and they put other oranges to shame!**

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6: Black Phoenix

**Chapter VI**

**Black Phoenix**

"Master Serenade," a lady mage spoke. Her name is Senka, a shadow mage with violet eyes, blue-black hair, and she wore a low-cut black dress printed with silver lotuses to flaunt her massive chest.

"What is it Senka?" Serenade asked, her golden eyes surrounded by red-violet hair, she was bedecked in white robes with black accents and a black cape embroidered with golden feathers.

"A report came back from Salamander Ember, and they've wrote that they've been discovered and that the Winter Princess of Helleborus survived our attack and saw that she was with wizards from Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail... How interesting. From what I've learned, their first master became his love interest, , he also taught their first master and the founding members magic, his brother and most powerful demon is a prominent member, and it was that guild who played a major role in his downfall and the defeat of Acnologia," Serenade replied in her smooth and musical voice.

"Master, the Winter Princess?"

"Senka, as much as I would like to tap into the magical power of the Winter Princess and use her as a guinea pig, I'm a little preoccupied right now trying to build upon Zeref's work. So, unless the brat poses an active threat, we needn't waste our time and efforts in capturing her. So, just leave her. Now that she's been spotted with Fairy Tail Guild Wizards, I believe it safe to assume that she's joined them, and they're not a force I wish to deal with right now."

"But Master, I thought you wanted that guild destroyed?" Senka questioned.

"Then you must've misunderstood something. To destroy that guild would be a waste. Those wizards are powerful and have close bonds; no, I don't want them destroyed, I want them under my rule or as my guinea pigs."

"Master Serenade, how do you plan on doing it?"

"There's an ultimatum I plan on using, join me, or become a subject of my experiments. I still have to develop it, so there's another reason why I don't want you messing with Fairy Tail, they're still beyond us, and my plans for them are only half-cooked. I don't want any harm coming to their allies either."

"Master Serenade, do you fear them?" Senka asked.

"I fear what will happen to you if you provoke them... You'd likely ruin everything I've been working on. Please Senka, focus on something else. Aid Salamander Ember in their tasks, or join the Hellhounds; otherwise I suppose I could experiment on you."

"There's nothing that I can do for you master?"

"Not right now, thank you."

"Master, before I leave you to your work, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. You're aiming to bring life back to the dead, and to improve humanity by genetically altering them or turning them into demons, but what if the gods take offense and strike you with the Curse of Contradiction as they have done with Zeref?" Senka asked.

Master Serenade let out a musical laugh: "My dear, sweet, Senka, I am fully prepared to accept that curse! I neither love life, nor do I hate it. To me, liffe is just something that happens, and it's the task of all living things to make the experience interesting. Besides, should the curse befall me, I've done enough research to figure out means to use it to our benefits."

Senka bowed her head to her master and took her leave. Meanwhile, Serenade was pouring over books, tomes she recovered when exploring the sites of the destruction of Tartaros and Zeref's defeat, plus a trip to Alverez. She aimed to create the perfect race and to create demons from the dead. Why? It just seemed like a fun thing to do, and she's a Zeref fanatic.

Ω Ω Ω

**Shorter chapter, but meet your new villain! What would you like to see next?**

**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Scarlet Wedding

**Chapter VII**

**The Scarlet Wedding**

Lucy, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, and Mirajane were all at a bridal shop to help Erza to pick out her wedding dress. She and Jellal had now set a date and had already picked out flowers and ordered a cake, now it was just a matter of finding the right dress. Juvia's first pick was an aquamarine gown that had a lot of fun ruffles, had puffed sleeves, and flattered her figure, and kept her body modest.

"It's not bad, but I don't think it's for Erza," Lucy stated.

"There's nothing wrong with it!" Juvia snapped back.

"I think it would be better suited for Mirajane," Wendy added.

"I think I'll have to agree with Lucy and Wendy, it's a pretty gown, Juvia, but it's not for me," Erza stated, and she went to try on another gown. This one was something that Lucy picked. It was a pink-white dress with halter straps, a leg slit that went up to the top of her thigh, flowing layers of chiffon on the skirt with some glitter in the fabric.

"Now that's more like you, Erza!" Mirajane declared.

"Yeah, that's a good pick, Lucy," Wendy spoke. Lucy responded with a cheeky smile. Erza gave the dress a few test twirls, but looked into the mirror with a debating expression.

"It does suit Erza better, but if you consider other dresses she's worn, it looks more like her formal re-quip dress - the purple one with flowers on it," Carla put in.

"That's why it didn't have that special feel. Yes, this does look like something I've worn before, but it's a good effort, Lucy. Perhaps Mirajane's pick would be different."

Mirajane's pick... It was... It was certainly different, and it reminded the ladies that there was a reason why she's called the 'She Devil'. It was a mermaid-style gown with a corset waist, and the rest of the dress just barely covered her 'parts'. Most of the material was see-through and there was lots of sparkle and embroidery, but only in the areas to keep her from getting arrested for indecent exposure!

The reactions were a clamor of asking Mirajane how she thought that such a dress would be appropriate.

Wendy made her pick based off of a combination of what she recalled from Erza's different sets of armor, and a desire to see Erza look like a princess more than a warrior.

Erza stepped out wearing a strapless ballgown with a sweetheart neckline, detached flowing sleeves, silk that had a subtle sparkle to it, and embroidered layers of sky blue over white, and a skirt that was full and flowing. Eyes popped and jaws dropped as Ezra stepped out looking very much like Wendy had expected her to look on her wedding day, it was as if Erza went in and then a fairy queen stepped out!

"THAT'S THE ONE!" the other girls announced. Erza had to agree, she did feel special in this gown. Wendy was quite proud of herself for this.

As for the bridesmaids: Lucy, Juvia, and Mirajane, they were dressed in deeper blue cocktail dresses with silver accents that seemed to work well with all three of them.

Ω Ω Ω

On the day of the wedding, everyone was dressed to the nines, most of Magnolia turned up, as did a great number of wizards from other guilds. Millianna and Kagura were there, though they weren't too sure if they too sure if Jellal really deserved her. Little did they know, Jellal had similar feelings too, but all were dispelled when everyone saw how happy she looked as she walked down the isle. She looked so beautiful, dressed like a fairy queen, with her hair done in the same style as her ataraxia armor re-quip, but with a sparkling tiara set in her hair with a veil beaded with crystals.

Within the crowd watching the ceremony, were their friends from Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, and Lamia Scale as well. Ichiya was there with tears in his eyes but demanding that the trimens don't look at him to try and spare his bravado.

With the turnout, a tourist could suspect that Magnolia was having some sort of festival! Nope, just one of the most prolific guild wizards was getting married.

Standing with Jellal were Natsu, Richard, and Erik. They figured that it would be right to have his guild members as a part of the wedding as Erza's, and the girls were alright with them.

There was nothing too remarkable about the ceremony, just a massive and colorful crowd, but the reception... Oof!

Where to start with the reception? Well, there was the towering cake and mountains of cupcakes - part of a gift from an eccentric fan of Fairy Tail. Of course, Jellal and Erza cut the cake using one of Erza's prized swords.

There was also a grand feast, not only with food that the happy couple ordered, but what other people decided to contribute. Happy, Fleischer, and Lector were at a loss for words in excitement over the grand display of fish: grilled, fried, and sushi

"Happy, you're drooling," Carla told him, she was in her human form, dressed really pretty in pink and lace. With a hidden blush, Happy colored his mouth and turned back to Carla: "It just looks so yummy!"

"Well, keep in mind that others are going to want to eat some too," Carla reminded him.

There were other roasted meats, tasty vegetables, fresh fruits, a bounty of breads, savory soups, varieties of teas and booze, and mountains of sweets! The buffet seemed to stretch for over a mile!

At the high table, Erza had reasonable proportions of regular food, but a big slice of strawberry cake.

"I must admit, I didn't expect such a turnout," she told Jellal.

"Yeah, it's as if the kingdom loves you as much as I do," he replied trying to do a flirtatious smirk.

"There're so many smiles too, I don't know what could be better," Erza replied as she looked over to Jellal. They smiled at each other and leaned in for a kiss, earning cheers from the onlookers.

* * *

Zyma was sitting with Gajeel and a now heavily-pregnant Levy for the wedding feast. Gajeel was dressed in his white suit and had brought his guitar with him, as he was made a member of the band who'd be performing for the dance portion of the wedding.

A moment after sitting, Gray turned up - fully dressed - with Lyon at his side.

"Lyon, this is Zyma, the newest member of Fairy Tail. She's been learning ice-make magic from me, but I think it will do her well to see another style. Zyma, this is Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale; he and I trained under the same master."

The guys sat down.

"So, you're an ice-make wizard too?" Lyon questioned.

"No, but I'm learning your type of magic to refine my skills with ice. I'm a cold wizard, meaning I basically control everything that cold entails: ice, snow, blizzard winds, and whatever else you can group in it," Zyma replied, and she stirred a small flurry around her hand for emphasis. However, Lyon got a sense of her magic power and was shocked, she felt like she could match Jura.

"So, what can you show me that Gray can't?" Zyma asked with a cold curiosity, but her eyes held a childish innocence, at least they looked that way, but they didn't feel completely innocent.

Lyon put his hands together and when he opened them up, several ice butterflies took flight and fluttered around the table.

"That's pretty, Lyon!" Levy declared.

Zyma was also quite amazed at the rather animated ice magic.

* * *

After the feast, Gajeel, Mirajane, and other musically talented wizards took to the stage to perform for Erza and Jellal's first dance. It became a passionate and interesting fusion of tango and rock, and Gajeel's voice wasn't sounding quite as gruff as it usually gets in his shoo-be-do-ba songs.

Erza really did look like a fairy queen, and Jellal her handsome prince - now to become the king who'd rule at the queen's side - as they danced together.

After the first song, Erza and Jellal remained on the dance floor, but now Lucy looked over to Natsu and took his hand: "C'mon Natsu, let's dance!"

He allowed her to drag him to the dance floor and did his best to keep from stepping on her feet. He actually got pretty good at twirling her, and Lucy's face was lit with joy!

Juvia collected Gray from his table, and after shedding his suit jacket, the two of them got to dancing too.

Soon followed Erik and Kinana, Ren and Sherry, Lyon and Meredy, Elfman and Evergreen, Wendy and Romeo, Carla with Happy in her cat form, and Freed was making eyes at Laxus.

"Hey, Natsu, how would you like this for yourself?" Lucy asked.

He looked at her quizzically.

"You don't have to tell me if you want it soon, but Gajeel and Levy are together and are starting a family; and Erza's now married. She might start a family too, I think that both of them would like that... I know I'd like that too."

Natsu gave her a twirl and told her: "It does sound nice... Maybe we should be getting serious about this."

"That's all I needed to hear," she replied.

Everything was simply perfect until suddenly two strange exceeds came crying out: "PLEASE HELP US! SAVE US!

Ω Ω Ω

**What would you like to see next? Also, for those of you who have complaints, don't worry, I have a plan for Zyma so she's not this sweet Mary-Sue girl. I believe I made it clear in earlier chapters that it feels to others that she's putting on an act.**

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8: A Shift in the Ice

**Chapter VIII**

**Shift in the Ice**

Carla, Happy, and Panther Lily were the first to approach with Fleischer dawdling after them.

Panther Lily assumed his battle form: "What's wrong?"

What he got was a blubbering and unintelligible response.

A moment later, a torrent of ice-cold water poured over the guest exceeds' heads, and just as quick as it came, the water was gone and the exceeds were dry.

No one had to guess where the cold shower came from as heads turned to Zyma.

"Well, you're not going to get anywhere trying to make sense of that... Now... uh, _exceeds_... Why are you here?" she asked.

A pink one sniffled and she told them: "Our friends are disappearing, and Queen Chagot has been having these terrifying visions of a golden-eyed villain and twisted men!"

Zyma's eyes widened... It all came back in a flash: those golden eyes, the flaming magenta hair, the death and destruction of what she loved in her home town, and the fear she had felt. Her power built up and the temperature in the area suddenly dropped.

"Keep it together, child," Master Makarov told her. She looked to him with sorrowful eyes, but calmed down.

Jellal and Erza looked to each other, and Erza told them: "We've actually been trying to find out the whereabouts of this monster, so we'll help you as best we can. We'll leave with you tomorrow morning.

"Thank you, but where will we stay?" a yellow one asked, his eyes holding desperation.

"You two can come and stay with us for the night; Lucy, Happy, and I've got a good place, " Natsu stated.

"Are you sure? We really don't want to intrude," the pink one replied.

"Aye, we're not ones to turn away those in need," Happy told her.

"So, what are your names?" Natsu asked.

"I'm Rosa, and this is my friend Sonny," the pink one replied.

"Great, we'll show you to our place," Natsu told her, he looked over to Erza and asked: "That is so long as the party's over, isn't it?"

"It has been slowing down for a little while," she replied, she turned to the crowd and announced: "Thank you all for a beautiful night! Feel free to stay or go as you please now!"

Ω Ω Ω

"This is it!" Natsu announced to Rosa and Sonny.

After the 100 years' quest, Natsu and Lucy agreed that they could - and probably should live together. So, after raising some more money together, Natsu expanded and remodeled his house to hold a nice bathroom, and a couple proper bedrooms. The house was still fairly small, but it suited their needs, it looked nice now that there was a woman's touch to it, and no rent.

"You guys didn't eat at the wedding, would you like some fish?" Happy asked.

"That sounds delicious, unless you have some chicken. Sonny and I love chicken!"

Natsu pulled out a large tuna and was about to fry it with his fire breath, but three exceeds screaming 'NOOO' put a halt to that idea, and they just attacked the fish whole and raw. Meanwhile, Lucy put on a kettle to prepare some tea.

"So, will you tell us more about what's been happening?" she asked, looking over to Sonny and Rosa.

"They've been striking at night, we'd go to bed and wake up to find that our friends were gone without warning, and there are signs of human visitors, they leave tracks. Then, Queen Chagot has been letting us know of the detailed visions she's been having. The twisted men she sees, they move awkwardly, like spastic marionettes, or so she says. When you meet up with her tomorrow, she'll go into further detail," Sonny replied, and Rosa let out a polite yawn.

"Oh dear, we've had a long and rough day, already I'm feeling a little sleepy," she spoke.

"Hold on, this tea I'm making has a bit of lavender and chamomile in it, it should help you fall asleep and give you pleasant dreams," Lucy told her, and she handed cups out to everyone.

"She's not seeing anything else in these dreams?" Lucy asked.

"That's all we know. We also know that we now have eggs with missing parents. They're being fostered, but we're still scared, even after we find a new place. However, it is likely that Chagot has had other visions since we left," Sonny replied.

"So, they're not stealing the eggs?" Happy asked.

"For that we are very grateful, but these villains must not have a need for them," Rosa told him and she sipped her tea: "This is quite tasty, thank you."

After taking their tea, Happy showed Rosa and Sonny their guest quarters while Natsu and Lucy tucked in for the night. They slept in the same room, but separate beds for now. There was a nightstand between them, with the doll Michelle sitting on it to watch over them.

Ω Ω Ω

Erza showed Jellal to Magnolia's nicest hotel, she couldn't rightly stay at the Fairy Hill's apartments for girls anymore, besides, the rent on her expanded suite was insane, and she wanted her new husband to feel like their home would be his home too not like he was moving into Erza's home. However, they still had to settle on a place; but for tonight, it would just be them in a hotel, a warm bath, and a nice bed with good springs.

Erza bathed first and made it quick. When Jellal went in she did her hair in a loose braid and dressed in a lacy set of lingerie, trying to look sweet rather than her normal intimidating self.

Jellal combed his freshly-washed blue hair and he knew that tonight he was expected to consummate his marriage. No doubt both of them will find it awkward at first, but they expected it our of each other. He re-entered the room and found Erza laying expectantly on the bed for him, prepared to let him take her as he pleased. He joined her on the bed and made gentle and awkward love; but another round yielded more pleasure.

Ω Ω Ω

Gajeel, Levy, and Panther Lily had left the wedding fairly early on, but Zyma lingered behind.

Now that Zyma had left she lollygagged her way back to Gajeel and Levy's home. She was walking along the canal as Lucy often did when Erik emerged from an alleyway.

"A lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?" he asked her. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him, alert, an a little spooked.

"Y-Yes, I suppose it is, there's a pleasant coolness to it."

"Yet in this cold and dark there are secrets held... I can hear everything, you thoughts and the beat of your heart. You're hiding secrets, and you're more than what you seem."

"No one likes a snoop, mind you," Zyma told him in a cold voice.

"Your heart beats so slow, and your body is so cold... You look like you're about twelve, but the truth is that you're older than you look, aren't you?" Erik asked. Zyma eased her stance with a dramatic sigh and replied: "I'm twenty, but the cold has a way of slowing things down, and my body and mind was no exception. Though I may've been born twenty years ago, my development to maturity has slowed down. Who knows, I may well be into my thirties by the time my brain and breasts fully develop. So, I may be twenty, but I'm just as much a child as my appearance suggests, and I don't really mind being treated as such. The real sign that I'm older than I look is that I'm wiser than one would expect of me."

"Your 'sweet girl' persona is all an act isn't it?" Erik questioned.

"I wouldn't say that's completely true. When you're literally as cold-hearted as I am, your emotions are dulled, unless you experience something that triggers extreme emotion. I was truly devastated when Black Phoenix destroyed Helleborus, and I truly am afraid of coming across them again. However, since I am the type person who wouldn't hesitate to kill when I believe it to be the right choice, I do make an effort to show that I am truly a nice person. I have no callus disregard for life, I do appreciate the courtesies of others, but I do have trouble really expressing things like gratitude, so I'm likely to overcompensate when I really want to express myself."

"Alright, what do you hope to gain from you guild?"

"The ability to make a living, to further my learning in magic, and to be accepted into a new family. I may be winter incarnate, but I've no desire to hurt anyone save for those who wronged me," Zyma replied.

"Do you seek revenge against those who destroyed Helleborus?"

"I'm not going to go out of my way for it, I'm afraid of Black Phoenix, mind you; but the thought of sticking their leader's head on a spire of ice is an entertaining thought; just as creating a nasty winter would be. However, those are just simple musings. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some rest," Zyma replied, and she walked away.

When she returned to Gajeel and Levy's house, both Gajeel and Panther Lily were shouting in panic, while Levy was screaming in agony.

The baby was coming!

Ω Ω Ω

**So here's a question: What gender should the GaLe baby be, and what name should I go with? Please leave your suggestions in the reviews!**

**Please review.**


	9. Chapter 9: A New Fairy

**Chapter IX**

**A New Fairy**

**WARNING: Semi-Graphic details to follow!**

"KID, YOU STAY HERE WHILE I GET HELP!" Gajeel roared, he motioned for Panther Lily to follow after him, but then Lily clung to his back and took flight.

"Where to Gajeel?" Panther Lily asked.

"Get me to the Fairy Hills, and then go find that healer lady from the forest, fly her to the house if you have to!" he ordered.

"Will do," Panther Lily told him, and he dropped Gajeel in front of the apartments and took off again.

Meanwhile, Gajeel barged into the apartments shouting for Wendy.

"WENDY! WHERE ARE YA, KID?! WENDY WE NEED YOUR HELP!" he called out as he started pounding on random doors, the ladies of Fairy Tail began opening their doors to cuss him out, but when Wendy and Carla finally emerged, he got down on his knees, looked her in the eyes, and told her: "Wendy, I need your help, the baby's coming!"

He didn't even wait for her, to respond, Gajeel just picked her up and ran off with her, leaving a bunch of wide-eyed women in his wake as he ran back to his home.

"But Gajeel, I'm no midwife!" Wendy exclaimed.

"That's why Lily's also getting that healer lady in the forest!"

Just as he said that, they heard Ms. Porlyusica's voice shouting as Lily carried her across the skies.

Ω Ω Ω

Levy screamed as a contraction started. Zyma had lain some towels and pillows on the floor, but was otherwise clueless for what else she could do. All she wanted to do was retreat to a corner in the room to leave Levy do her best to hold the baby in until Gajeel returned with help, but when she tried to leave Levy's side, Levy reached for Zyma and seized her hand and held her tight.

Levy rank with the sweat beading over her body, but while holding Zyma's hand, she sighed: "Ah, your skin is so cold!" And she moved that hand to press it against her forehead. Levy's grip was so tight that there would be no escape from it.

Luckily, Gajeel and Lily were soon back at home with help in tow, but Levy's grip persisted while Gajeel took Levy's other hand and stuck to her side for support. All the while, Ms. Porlyusica was giving Wendy orders.

* * *

The labor lasted for ten hours - yes, ten hours - when Ms. Porlyusica ordered: "Now push!"

With one final scream of both pain and effort, the baby came. Ms. Porlyusica announced in a rather dry tone: "Congratulations, it's a girl." She cut the umbilical cord and handed the newborn to Wendy to bundle her up and pass her over to her parents.

"A girl?" Gajeel questioned.

"Yes, you lug nut, you have a daughter!" Ms. Porlyusica retorted, she gave a terse goodbye and headed back to her home in the forest.

"I had to drag her out of bed," Lily explained.

Gajeel was too focused on the bundle in Wendy's arms to give much of a care for the healer's attitude. Levy, on the other hand, was collapsed with exhaustion and covered in sweat, but there was still a smile on her face. She had also released Zyma's hand. The cold girl retreated to a chair further away from the happy family.

Wendy passed the baby over to Gajeel, and with the child in his arms he pulled Levy closer to him.

"What are you going to name her?" Wendy asked with curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Good question... There are so many characters in books we could name her after, and so many friends too!" Levy replied.

"Though our friends are good to us, I don't want to name her after them. Someone might feel excluded," Gajeel told her.

"How about... Athena? It's a name of wise warrior."

"I like it, a good name for the daughter of a brilliant-minded mother and a dragon's son," Gajeel replied. They looked down at their quiet little girl. her hair a navy blue, and when she opened her eyes, they were a mix of brown and red, though they seemed to lean more towards red.

Meanwhile, Zyma motioned towards Wendy for her to come over.

"What is it, Zyma?" Wendy asked.

"They've got a lot to focus on now, and I'm just not a baby lover. Can I stay at your place for a little while? Just a couple nights at least, until I figure out what I want to do for my own housing."

"Sure, it can be fun to have a roommate!"

* * *

A little while later, Zyma was packed, and she spoke to Gajeel and Levy: "Thank you all you've done for me, and your hospitality."

"You're leaving?" Levy questioned.

"Yes, and though I've grown fond of you and Gajeel, I believe I should leave the two of you to focus on raising your adorable child. Furthermore, there's a fault with me; see, babies kind of put me on edge thanks to a slight pedophobia. Kids I like, but I don't know how to read a baby, and my type of magic is very dangerous. Still, once again, I appreciate and thank you for your help and hospitality, and I'll be sure to get little Athena a 'welcome to the world' gift."

She then left with Wendy, who showed her apartment.

"So, this is where Carla and I live," Wendy stated.

"Thank you for letting me into your home, here's a gift," Zyma told her, and she presented Wendy a small bowl of blood oranges from a bag.

"Thank you."

"They're blood oranges, and since Mirajane showed them to me, I've been crazy for them. They're like a regular orange, just a bit more flavor, definitely more tart."

"Well, I appreciate the warning... Are they really sour? I'm not crazy for sour foods. One look at a jar of pickled plums, and my lips will pucker." Wendy replied.

"They're not _that_ sour, I assure you."

"I'll try tone later; so, would you like some tea? It may just calm us after all the excitement tonight," Wendy offered.

"Tea sounds delightful."

Wendy went to her little kitchen to prepare a kettle and asked: "So, what started this pedophobia of yours?"

"Back in Helleborus, I was asked to look after a couple's children, one of them a baby. They showed me how to do everything, but that baby eventually went into a crying fit, and I couldn't figure out what he needed and no matter what I did I couldn't soothe him. His wails grew to the point where it felt like he was stabbing me in the ears with knitting needles! Then, while I was distracted with the baby, the older kid - maybe four years old - was playing while running around the house, and eventually fell down the stairs and twisted his ankle really bad on my watch. I did all I could for the older kid and eventually got the baby to stop crying, but the parents found me a traumatized wreck. I gave them the full story and just made a run for it."

"Th-that is pretty bad," Wendy replied.

"Yeah... Let's turn to a lighter subject, I love talking about magic! Tell me about your magic, Levy's told me that you've got dragon magic!" Zyma told her.

"I'm a Sky Dragon-slayer and I can do enchantments and healing magic."

Carla stepped in: "Wendy, like Natsu and Gajeel, was raised by a dragon."

"Now that's awesome! I hear that you dragon mages actually fight like those beasts!" Zyma replied, her voice sounding with real excitement.

"Yeah, a few spells include a roar, wing attack, fist, and talons, but it also depends on what your element is. Natsu can use a spell for all that I've mentioned, and even his elbow and his head. Gajeel doesn't seem to have a wing attack or talon move; and I certainly don't have an elbow move. Depending on the element of dragon that raises a dragon-slayer, the slayer will be able to cast spells from that element. That's why I can use healing magic and Gajeel can turn his skin into armor."

Zyma took this information in, and then came to ask: "Can you help me to understand this: Why would dragons raise mages with the power to slay them?"

"The full story is a long one, but I'll try to keep it short: The first dragon slayer was Irene Belserion, she and her dragon friend wanted to live in a world where humans and dragons could coexist peacefully. It was Irene's idea to develop a form of magic to deal with the dragons that didn't want peace. The dragons got on board with this idea and granted their power to certain people and they turned the tides of their war together, but then the dragon-slayers turned against the dragons that taught them their magic too. That's why they're almost extinct, sadly," Wendy replied, and then she got up to pour some tea.

"Where do you think I could find out more about your type of magic?" Zyma asked.

"Your best bet would be the magic library. It's a little ways from here, but you'd probably love it... Now I can sense that your powers are pretty strong, what can you tell me about your magic?"

"It's cold magic. If I can associate something with the cold, I can command it, be it the ice, snow, or air. I'm basically winter incarnate," Zyma told Wendy, and she went on to tell of how she came upon her magic.

"So, would you say that your magic turned you into winter incarnate?" Carla questioned.

"I suppose that could be true; but I also think that it's cool that Wendy's magic has basically made a dragon out of her!"

"You seem to be quite excited about this," Carla remarked.

Zyma calmed down and replied: "Well, I've never seen a dragon, but I'd imagine that they were amazing creatures. To hear that there were some who adopted human children... It's like something I'd normally hear out of a storybook."

After tea and talk, Zyma had decided that she must visit the magic library, and thanked Wendy once again for her hospitality.

Ω Ω Ω

When the morning came, Zyma took her bag, bought some food, and told the guild that she was taking a little holiday. Not that many people paid her much attention as eyes were on baby Athena, with her dark blue hair - at least that she had - and her red eyes like sparkling garnets. Mirajane and Lucy cooing over her while the men focused more on congratulating Gajeel and Levy.

Also saying their goodbyes were Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Rosa, and Sonny to meet up with the Exceed community to see what they might be able to gather from them in regards to the golden-eyed villain responsible for the cat-napping of Sonny and Rosa's friends. Of course the wizards congratulated Levy and Gajeel on their baby and even have a doe-eyed look at the baby before they headed off, with Natsu complaining to Lucy about the mode of transportation she picked out for them to cover some ground, even Wendy wasn't too happy hearing about it.

* * *

Zyma left quietly and traveled on foot to the magic library. It was quite the walk, but once she reached the towering structure she was quite impressed. She hurried her way into the library and immediately began browsing.

On her search for the topic of the beautiful dragon-slayer magic, she came to a darkened section of dusty tomes and saw that some of these books covered a form of terrifying magic, death magic. Zyma had a quick flashback of when she met Macao and he told her that her hands were cold as death. If death could be associated with the cold so easily, then she should be able to implement that magic into her cold magic. She dusted off the spines, and curiously pulled a couple off the shelves and began to flip through them. She had no interest in causing death or reanimating the dead, but she did find a couple spells that looked like they would come in handy, particularly a spell called 'Necropolis'. It was a spell that allowed communication between the living and the dead.

Zyma eventually found a book on dragon-slayer magic, it was clearly an old tome, but it was well kept - considering its age, and detailed names of some of those who used this form of magic, their abilities, the dragons who gave them their abilities, and even some details about the origins... However, what shocked Zyma was that she found the details of what side-effects practicing dragon-slayer magic has, particularly one that didn't seem to affect her friends in the slightest. At least they showed no symptoms of this particular side-effect.

For a great number of hours, Zyma poured over these tomes before she grew the confidence she needed to put these magics into practice.

Ω Ω Ω

**I didn't really care for the names I saw on any form of fan art for the GaLe baby, so I just went with a name that I thought would suit a dragon and a fairy as well as a goddess. I also hope that by this point Zyma isn't coming across as a "Mary-Sue" character. **

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10: Exceed

**Chapter X**

**Exceed**

Natsu and Wendy hurled once they got out of the wagon. They each took a turn riding on the back of the horse pulling their wagon, and that helped, but they ended up finishing the trip on the wagon with Lucy and the exceeds.

They ended up in a lovely area of a forest where the flying cats made their homes in the treetops. To their slight surprise Ichiya and Nichiya were there waiting for them.

"We're back, and we've brought Fairy Tail with us!" Sonny called out.

"Meow, what wonderful timing! Of course Queen Chagot had a premonition that you'd be coming right about this time," Nichiya replied.

"Sniff-sniff, sniff-sniff, ah, the parfum of friendship and comrades wafts strongly from you, man," Ichiya stated.

"Hey Ichiya, good to see you again," Natsu replied.

"Indeed, meow, but let us see to my friend, Nadi, and Queen Chagot," Nichiya told him. He then looked to Sonny and Rosa: "You two are dismissed, our guests must attend audience with the Queen."

Nichiya turned back to the Fairy Tail wizards and gestured for them to follow him.

Queen Chagot was dressed more modestly compared to how Carla first saw her. She wore a red-violet dress with pink sleeves and trimmed with white lace, and wore a simple crown; and at her side were three more familiar faces: Nadi, Lucky, and Marl.

"I'm glad you've come," Queen Chagot told them.

"We've been told that you've been having troubling premonitions and that your people are disappearing," Carla replied.

"That's right, it's gotten to the point where we've had to establish a night watch, but even that hasn't proved to be as effective as we had wished. My premonitions and this watch aren't enough to stop them. Whomever's stealing my people in the night must be using some sort of concealment."

"Have faith, men, now you have an elite wizard and exceed of Blue Pegasus and wizards from Fairy Tail's strongest team," Ichiya told the queen.

"Yes, and I thank you again. All I ask is that you help us capture whomever's behind this."

"We'll do our best and give it our all," Wendy replied.

"We thank you, and you can come stay with us until dark," Marl told them. Happy and Carla smiled, remembering the friendliness and generosity of Marl and the hard driving and loud Lucky.

As the group started to follow them, Queen Chagot reached out to touch Carla's shoulder: "Wait, before you go, Carla, there's something that I need to tell you."

The group paused and waited in silence for the queen to continue.

"I didn't tell you this because I felt like I didn't have the right earlier, but soon after we were forced out of Edolas, we embarked on a quest to find the children I had sent to Earthland. That quest has since been completed. Carla, I am your mother."

Ω Ω Ω

In the dark of the night, the gang had split up to participate in the night watch with the exceeds, though Lucy had to stay with Natsu just to make sure that his boredom wouldn't make him spontaneously combust with a maddening lust to start punching something or fall asleep on the job.

"Man, this sucks, when are those creeps going to get here so I can start punching them?" he grumbled.

"Listen, Natsu, it's better for the exceeds if they don't show up at all, but if you want them to come then you need to be stealthy like a ninja - and ninjas are quiet and unseen, so don't use your fire as a torch!" Lucy snapped back in a hushed voice.

Natsu wrapped his white scarf around his head and proceeded to keep his mouth shut.

As for the others, Ichiya and Nichiya had split off on their own, striking fabulous poses and sniffing the parfum of the night as they maintained patrol. Their sparkle shimmered dimly beneath the moon and the stars.

"Ichiya, I've caught the alarming parfum of an intruder, meow," Nichiya spoke.

"Lead the way, my handsome friend," Ichiya replied.

They moved stealthily, only to pick up the pace when they heard the sound of a few exceeds screaming. The screams alerted the night watch and brought over Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla too.

"Open Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius! Star Dress!" Lucy cast, and she stunned the intruder with arrows as well as her celestial spirit. However, the intruder recovered quickly, just before they were able to surround him.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Natsu called out, and he ended up scorching the intruder's tail... yes, an actual tail. The intruder jumped with a yelp, but didn't let go of the exceed he was carrying.

"My ultimate parfum! MUSCLE MAN! MAN, MAN, MUSCLE MAAANN!" Ichiya called out as he and Nichiya charged after the intruder.

The intruder seemed to dodge every attack with an insane level of agility. He then counter-attacked Ichiya with a series of punches and kicks that were both powerful and way too quick to have been delivered by a human, and even at his strongest Ichiya went down.

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!" Wendy cast, and this time the intruder was knocked off his feet, and the exceed managed to get away.

Natsu charged while the exceed night watch flew to block the intruder's way of escape.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" Natsu shouted, and he connected the punch right to the intruder's head, and thus the intruder was KO'd!

Natsu took a couple breaths to calm down and then lit a hand on fire to take a closer look at the intruder, only to find that he looked like a mix of a weasel and a man! Natsu had seen people with cat ears and a tail, but this guy looked more as if he was Elfman in one of his take-over forms. However, this guy was totally KO'd, so if this form was a take-over it would've worn off right away. No, this was the true form of the intruder, and on his jacket was the mark of Salamander Ember. He'd heard about Gray and Juvia encountering one of these guys during Zyma's first big job, and he decided to take this creep back to the guild.

* * *

The next morning they took their reward, but then Wendy told them: "Perhaps it will be for the best if you were to come back to Magnolia with us. The intruder is a part of a dark guild and we don't know if more will come for you."

"Yeah, we can make some room for you around our place," Natsu added.

Queen Chagot looked down contemplatively.

"My Queen, I do believe that it will be for the best for you people if you were closer to a true guild that can help provide protection. My comrades at Blue Pegasus will also be willing to lend some aid," Nichiya stated.

"Yes, I'll have to agree... Those who wish to follow Sir Nichiya will join him at the Blue Pegasus guild. I will be joining with our friends of Fairy Tail," Queen Chagot declared, and then she turned to Carla: "That is, if it's alright with you."

"Of course, I'm not going to turn you away," she replied. With that, the exceeds made a procession to their new homes. Some went with Ichiya and Nichiya towards Blue Pegasus, while the rest followed after Natsu and his team over to Fairy Tail.

Ω Ω Ω

**Please review, and make requests! I'll love some feedback.**


	11. Chapter 11: Encounter

**Chapter XI**

**Encounter**

The most worrisome factor about the Salamander Ember prisoner was that none of the wizards could sense very much in the way of magic power. This prisoner, whomever he was...

"There's no way he's a take-over wizard with this level of magic power," Lucy stated.

"Then what is he?" Natsu asked.

"Someone did this to a human, he's stuck like this," Lucy replied.

"You mean, someone just took this guy and forced him to become something else?" Happy questioned in his high spooked voice. It was that voice he used when he was both a bit scared and confused.

Lucy cast a quick glance over to Natsu. Between what she knew from Happy, and what Zeref had said, Natsu was the Black Wizard's little brother who died when he was young during a dragon attack. Devastated and confused, Zeref devoted himself to bringing Natsu back; he eventually succeeded, bringing Natsu back as E.N.D. a demon from the books of Zeref. She herself had to write the demon aspect out of Natsu so that the guild - and the rest of the wizards - could defeat Zeref and his forces and save Natsu at the same time.

"Whomever we're dealing with is a fan of Zeref... The name of the Black Phoenix guild can imply the rebirth of the Black Wizard, or at least one of his ideas. With the name Salamander Ember, that could refer to you in some way, Natsu," Lucy began.

"I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE CREEPS UNLESS IT'S TO KICK THEIR BUTTS!" Natsu shouted, getting a little heated.

"I know you don't, but I think that the leader of the Black Phoenix guild knows about... your origins... Natsu, from what I've been told, you died a long time ago and were brought back to life by Zeref as... well, we know the rest. Zeref created new forms of life, and that may very well be what our prisoner is. You are known as Salamander, Natsu, once a new form of life, and our prisoner is a new form of life who's a part of the Salamander Ember guild," Lucy explained.

"She does have a point, Natsu... Hopefully when he wakes up, he'll be able to tell us something about them, and we'll have a better understanding about what we're dealing with," Wendy stated.

The exceed named Rosa glided down and asked them: "Pardon me, but should we focus on getting back to Magnolia?"

Natsu looked down to Happy and Carla: "If you'd like, Happy and Carla can lead you there by flying, and report to Gramps what's going on with you guys."

"Are you sure, Natsu? What if something happens and we're not here to lend you a hand?" Happy asked.

"Lucy, Wendy, and I will hold our own as best we can, and if we really get into some trouble, at least our new friends will be safe. Right now, Little Buddy, they need you more than us," he replied.

"Aye Sir!" Happy cheered and he took flight, and Carla decided to join him, they led the exceed procession to Magnolia.

* * *

Lucy, Wendy, and Natsu's path brought them near the magic library.

"Okay, I need to drop this guy for a bit, he's starting to get heavy," Natsu announced. He dropped the prisoner and he began to stir. Natsu looked at him with a cold stare: "Great, he's about to wake up."

"Maybe he can tell us something!" Wendy exclaimed.

The prisoner shook himself awake and looked over to the three wizards staring at him: "Where am I? What do you want from me?"

"We should be asking you the questions!" Natsu snapped.

"I-I was just following orders! Look, look at what's become of me!"

"We see that. We don't want to hurt you, but we do want to know what happened to you and some information about Salamander Ember. Are you the only one like yourself?" Lucy replied.

"No, there are others. I'm a result of an _'enhancement'_ experiment... Well, they did improve my eyesight and hearing, and I'm faster and more agile now, but I'm also a man-cat!"

Lucy, Wendy, and Natsu exchanged worried looks.

"What have others turned into?" Wendy asked nervously.

"I saw a fox, a couple different birds, and a pig... I'm glad that I'm at least not the pig guy!" Man-cat replied. His ears suddenly perked and swiveled: "There's someone coming!" he exclaimed. He pointed in the direction of the sound.

Natsu and Wendy stood in front of Lucy and Man-cat ready to face their accidental guest. What showed up was a woman with golden eyes and red-violet hair, dressed in white robes with black accents. A Black Phoenix Guild mark was visible.

"There you are, Jack, the guild was worried about you," she spoke to the man-cat.

Jack's ears swivel some more, and the wizards picked up the sense of someone with a high level of magic power heading their way.

"Oh, hi you guys, what a chance encounter," the wizard spoke. Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy remembered the voice and turned to find Zyma approaching. Her sapphire eyes looked curious and innocent.

"Whaaa... You weren't_ this _powerful when we last saw you!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well, I've been at the Magic Library for a while now, looking to extend my abilities... and I have," Zyma replied. She then looked at the golden-eyed wizard and her eyes went wide with recognition.

"YOU!" she exclaimed and pointed at the wizard of Black Phoenix.

"Oh, so _you're_ the one that the people of Helleborus called 'the winter princess', we did miss you during our visit."

"Zyma, you know this woman?" Lucy questioned.

"She was the one who destroyed my hometown... all those people, gone... COLD MAGIC RELEASE!"

A slurry of snow spiraled out from her, a slow but rhythmic thumping echoed through the area, and frost and snow began to collect in the area with each beat of the 'thump' which only sounded once every few seconds. Finally, Zyma looked the golden-eyed wizard in the eyes and asked her: "Now, who are you?"

She smiled and replied: "I'm Serenade, Black Phoenix's Guild Master, and Jack is a part of one of my projects. This is a wonderful encounter, I've found the missing member of Salamander Ember, I've found the Winter Princess, and I'm right near the Magic Library... Now, if you would just come with me."

"Fat chance! I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now, and nothing you do will change that!"

"I don't want to go back there," Jack said meekly.

"You heard them, they're not going anywhere with you!" Natsu snarled.

"So you say... Well then, after what happened to Helleborus, surly the Winter Princess wishes for revenge. After all, she had family and friends before I came along," Serenade replied.

Looks shifted over to Zyma, the thudding still sounded with every few seconds, snow still continued to pile up; however, Zyma kept her cool as she replied: "I know the words to express the rage I hold towards you, but I've grown stronger since I first came to the Magic Library. I've also come to realize that revenge won't bring back my loved ones, and that evils are necessary in a world.

Serenade assumed a relaxed stance and spoke: "You think that evil wizards have a place in this world?"

"Yes, I've learned the origins of Fairy Tail, and that Zeref actually played a role in its founding; that good thing came from a source of evil. Without evil, there would be no heroes. Without evils, the world would take slower to progress. You are evil, Serenade, but with no more Zeref, Acnologia, no other dark guilds, and so one, you are necessary for this world."

"Well, you know what I've done, and I'm sure you know what I intend, so what are you going to do about me?" Serenade asked.

"I may hate you, however I don't wish to fight you for the sake of revenge. I'll fight you during the line of work, in the name of justice. In the meantime, I'm inclined to simply let you turn around, walk away, and get back to your experiments," Zyma replied.

"You're going to let me pursue my 'evil's as you'd consider them?"

"I've learned a lot during my stay at the library, and I've also decided that I have my own evil that I wish to commit... once I get the right power."

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm, for a little brat you talk a good game. Perhaps I want to see your supposed 'evil' that you wish to commit," Serenade told Zyma.

"All you need to do now is to turn around, walk away, and don't let Fairy Tail hear about your antics. Now, leave."

By this point the snow was up to their ankles, the thumping still sounded.

"Of course, I just need something from the Magic Library," Serenade replied.

"ICE MAKE THORN WALL!" Zyma shouted, she stomped her foot and vines of thorns made of ice erupted and surrounded the Magic Library. Serenade turned to Zyma with murder in her eyes, but Zyma was quick to tell her: "I'm not finished with my studies in the Library. However, I've not much to read yet, and this will be the last time I interfere with you, that is until there's a job request asking us to bring you down."

"Why don't I just drag you with me?" Serenade snarled.

"You're dealing with the Guild that brought down the three greatest dark guilds and Zeref, you know what you're messing with and can't afford to be defeated now... So leave!" Zyma replied, flurries of snow encircled her.

In a huff, Serenade turned around and walked away.

"You're really going to just let her go?" Natsu questioned.

"I hold nothing but seething hatred for her, she's nothing but a mass-murderer to me, but I know that nothing is going to bring back the people I've lost, and I've read that revenge is sweet but in the end it leaves a bitter aftertaste. That being said, I don't want to fight her for the sake of defeating her, but for justice... Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to do something about this winter and get back to the Library."

Zyma held out an open up-turned hand and a ball of light lit up over her palm, drawing in all the frost and snow, until the area returned to its proper season. Zyma was just about to head back to the Library when Lucy stopped her: "Hold on now, little missy, just what was that 'evil' that you told that witch you wanted to commit?"

Without even turning around, Zyma told her: "It will be a means to restore one form of balance to this world, one that has been lost long ago it seems. I promise that it won't be nearly as bad as what that Serenade has committed... Once I've finished the last of my reading, I'll be returning to the Guild. Say 'hi' to Gajeel and Levy for me, will you?"

She then turned away.

"That girl gave me the chills, and I'm not just talking about her magic," Jack stated.

"Well she's one of us, so I don't think that we should worry about her too much," Natsu replied.

"What about the 'evil' she mentioned?" Lucy asked.

"We'll tell Gramps what she told us, and he'll deal with her when she gets back," Natsu told her.

"I sure hope that whatever she has planned, it's really not as bad as she might make it out to be. I don't want to have to fight her," Lucy whimpered.

Ω Ω Ω

**Oh, dear Lucy, Zyma is going to make you scream. Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12: Soul

**Chapter XII**

**Soul**

The Exceeds all found a place within the Fairy Tail Guild to make their mark and home. Some took up fishing, others ended up joining teams - some even ended up joining the Guild in the process, and some were simply there to stay until another home could be found.

Carla, Lily, and Happy were given immediate respect, especially after some of the Exceeds heard about their adventures, such as Carla and Wendy saving the world's magic from a Face detonation.

However, Mararov's face was a bit somber while he held his mug of ale. Natsu and Lucy told him about their encounter with this witch named Serenade, and running into Zyma. He thought about what Lucy told him about Zyma's view of vengeance and why she let Serenade go, but what worried him was that Lucy said that she was planning to commit an evil. What on earth was the child planning?

He had been left with these thoughts for a few days, the child was taking longer than she had anticipated.

However the opportunity to talk to her came this day when a cold draft flowed inside the hall when Zyma opened the door. Eyes turned to her when they sensed her power. She locked eyes with her Guild Master and approached him: "I have a feeling that you'd wish to speak with me."

"Yes, child, come with me," and he led her away.

Once they were alone, Makarov spoke: "Natsu and Lucy told me about their last encounter with you. Tell me about this Serenade?"

"I don't know what I could tell you that Natsu and Lucy likely didn't... Serenade is the leader of the Black Phoenix guild, it is likely that her aim is to resurrect an idea of Zeref's rather than bringing back the black wizard. She is also the one responsible for the death and destruction of my hometown and she wants me on her side. I hold nothing but hatred for her, but I don't wish to pursue vengeance."

"Now why is that?"

"It's the wrong way of doing things. The people of Helleborus may want vengeance, but they deserve justice more, and I know that in time justice will be granted for them. I've also come to accept that the world needs evil. Fairy Tail has defeated all the major dark guilds and Zeref, they've even defeated dragons, so now I believe that Serenade has come to fill the void those evils have left behind. Personally, I'd rather know what evil I'm dealing with than to defeat her and wonder what's to come. Besides, whatever she has planned, perhaps there will be some form of good to come out of it."

"How can something good come from someone who's destroyed a city along with its people?" Makarov asked.

"I wish I knew... but think back on Zeref. I've learned a great many things since I joined Fairy Tail and while I've been away, and came to the conclusion that if it weren't for Zeref, Natsu wouldn't be alive and Fairy Tail wouldn't have been founded. A wizard who's committed so many evils, but he's the reason why your children are here."

"Alright, I can respect your views, though it would have been for the best if you did take down Serenade when you could. Now, what is this supposed evil that you're planning?" Makarov asked Zyma.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly ruin the surprise for you! Don't worry, Master, it's not nearly as bad as what's Serenade is planning."

"Who will it hurt?"

"It's not my intention to hurt anyone. If anything, the aim is to make others stronger and to restore a form of balance that has been lost to this world."

"What will it cost for you to achieve this goal?"

"Nothing material and nothing that I'm not willing to give up; as for any others that I may get involved with this plan, I won't take away anything from them... I may look like a simple child, Master, but I promise you that I know full well what I'm doing."

"This evil that you're planning, will it break any laws?" Makarov asked.

"There are no laws to interfere with my plans... In truth, Master, I don't think that it is a true evil. I just know that a form of balance has been lost to this world, I wish to restore it, and I'll need to get others involved in order to achieve it."

"Do you think that your heart is truly in the right place?"

Zyma looked to Master Makarov with a sense of offense but then cast a smirk his way: "Ah, it's good that we're in autumn now... Master, it only takes one beautiful spell for you to understand my views of the world."

"A spell to reveal what's in your heart?" he questioned.

Zyma smirked and shook her head, and without a further prompt she extended her arms outward and shouted: "BLIZZARD OF MY SOUL!"

There was a great release of magic power that stilled the guild members in the tavern, and outside the temperature dropped greatly and snow began to fall. Zyma's magic continued to flow from her until she dropped to her knees, nearly out of power.

"Ah, it's nice to get all of that winter out of me," she said almost breathlessly. She caught her breath and rejoined her guild mates, already the winds were picking up.

"Are you doing this?" Erza asked her.

"It is the work of one of my spells, not hostile though, but it's not one that I want people to be exposed to, and it's very pretty... Everyone, it may be best you go home now, that blizzard is going to get pretty nasty soon, but I promise that you'll be greeted by the most beautiful winter in the morning," Zyma spoke. The guild exchanged looks but headed off to their homes. However, she caught Wendy: "May I stay with you for the night?"

"You really should get your own place, child," Carla told her.

"I'm happy to share my space with you," Wendy replied.

"Wonderful, and I can prepare your dinner tonight," Zyma replied.

So they went together back to the apartments and Zyma prepared a seafood stew paired with some lemon and ginger tea.

"How come you haven't found a place yet?" Wendy asked.

"Other priorities have come up is all. I plan on leaving Magnolia again very soon for a job and then to return to the Magic Library to continue my research."

"What are you studying?"

"I've been looking at ways I can expand my Cold Magic. Ever since I became a wizard, I've had a nice ability for controlling winter, but Gray and Leon have helped me to refine my skills with ice, and I'm sure that I can do more when I put my mind to it," Zyma replied.

"We felt that last spell you cast, and now you're covering the whole city in a blizzard; don't you think that you've got plenty of power?" Carla asked.

Zyma looked down into her tea and gave a contemplative smirk before replying: "Perhaps I do have magic power in excess, and I can get by rather well with what I have. However, Carla, I love magic, and I love learning about magic. My pursuit isn't for magical power, but taking in the knowledge and utilizing the applications of any and all magics that I can learn or am fascinated with. There are no laws pertaining to how powerful a person can become, but so long as I have the power to protect those I care about, then I'm happy, but clearly I failed to do so back in Helleborus."

A pause hung in the air, and they could hear the howling winds outside the apartments. The snowflakes were big enough that they could be heard tapping on the window.

"How could will it get out there?" Wendy asked.

"It's well below freezing, I'll tell you that much, but once the storm has subsided it will gradually warm up," Zyma replied.

After the meal, the girls sat up with cakes and hot chocolate before going off to bed.

Ω Ω Ω

The next morning - as Zyma had promised - the storm had subsided, and people walked out into the most beautiful winter they had ever seen! Trees were encased in ice, sparkling and smooth to the point where it looked like they were carved from crystals. The snow was the beautiful light and fluffy kind, great for sledding on when it was packed down, but not so great when you wanted to have a snowball fight or build a snowman. However, why build a snowman when there were stunning ice sculptures about the city?

The ice sculptures weren't restricted to to just statures sitting on the ground, icicles hanging also formed small pictures, often of animals and silhouettes of people dancing.

The people began walking around the city to enjoy this beautiful winter and the sudden appearance of the artwork. The greatest depictions were of people: brilliant statues that even came with name plates and detailed whatever information Zyma knew about them. There were sculptures of people from Helleborus but their faces were somber.

Natsu and his friends found a rather large sculpture depicting Serenade of Black Phoenix sitting on a high throne, surrounded by shrouded lackeys. The sculpture's face was highlighted by the evil that Zyma saw in her. Jutting from the back of the throne were spikes of ice aimed at her throat, the sign of Zyma's hatred of Serenade.

The most epic sculptures were of her fellow guild mates: Natsu's sculpture was of him getting a lift from Happy while mighty flames with crackles of lightning spewed from his mouth and took the shape of a dragon! Juvia was represented as a mermaid surrounded by waves crashing around her while she made loving eyes at a cool-faced Gray with loving eyes. To no surprise, there was one of Erza dressed in her Heaven's Wheel armor, holding up a sword in triumph as she stood atop a heap of her fallen enemies. Master Makarov was probably the tamest as he was depicted sitting on a stool, holding a pint of beer in one hand and a book in another while he read to a group of children in front of him. There was a sculpture of Lucy surrounded by her spirits while she was wearing a Star Dress. Though, perhaps the best one belonged to Gajeel and Levy, it was of the two of them dancing at a formal ball while a figure of a dragon and a fairy - with a tail - danced around them; and all figures in this sculpture had such joy and kindness in their eyes.

Zyma found Master Makarov and asked him: "How do you like it?"

"It is a lovely winter," he replied.

"This isn't just winter created by my magic, Master, what you see before you is a view into my soul."

Then there was the sculpture of herself. She was dancing in a dress meant for twirling. One hand it seemed like she was casting a flurry of happy snow the other hand seemed to be manipulating nasty blades of ice; this displayed the beauty and treachery of her magic.

Among the sculptures of people where those of animals, some cute and some scary, all reflecting how Zyma saw them. There was truly nothing that she could hide with the blizzard of her soul.

"Well, I trust that you have a good head on your shoulders, child," Makarov told her.

Looking around, everyone was admiring the sculptures and playing in the snow.

"Do I really look that pretentious?" Evergreen asked when she found the sculpture of her. Her ice figure had her coyly holding a rose while leaning on a statue, and her face looked down at those looking at her in a way that spoke: 'I think I'm better than you'.

"I think it doesn't quite catch your charm, but it makes you look like a real lady," Elfman told her.

Happy found his sculpture: "Hey Natsu, look at this one!"

"Yeah, that's you all right, little buddy!"

This sculpture was of him flying around with a fish in his paws and a big grin on his face.

Much of the same things went around when guild members four their statues. Gajeel and Levy were quite impressed when they found theirs, the beautiful fairy dancing with the mighty dragon. What a picture!

Ω Ω Ω

At the end of her visit, Zyma took up a job, took her leave of Magnolia again, and she took her beautiful winter with her.

Ω Ω Ω

**What do you think Zyma is up to? Please review.**


	13. Chapter 13: It Comes on Wings

**Chapter XIII**

**It Comes on Wings**

In the days - and eventually weeks - to come, the guild saw very little of Zyma. She kind of became the next Mystogan: reputed to be a very capable and powerful wizard, a bit of a vagabond, and rarely showed her face at the guildhall, but when she did, it was to sweep in to grab a snack and a flyer, say a casual 'hello' and then leave again.

* * *

As for the lives of our Fairy Tail friends, things fell into their usual order. Teams would go off on their jobs, maybe hear some rumors, come back to share those rumors - as well as details about the jobs - and then take it easy for a few days.

Gajeel was attempting to get more acquainted with more of the Guild. Yeah he kind of grew to like Jet and Droy, but their lack of competence was sometimes a bit too much to bear. So he put out an open note that he was up for about anything with anyone. It wasn't just about money for the baby, but to see whom he would also trust as a baby sitter for when Levy needed a break. Somehow, he even managed to get Nab Lasaro to go on a job with him! That was a shocker. It was about as shocking as the day that he and Levy asked Natsu and Lucy to look after Athena for a while so Levy could do a non-translation job.

That was also when it was discovered that Lucy's tolerance for babies was very limited, but Natsu had a lot of patience for them. As he'd demonstrated with Lucy's little spirit, Plue, he seemed to have a special understanding when it came to babies.

"Well, it's because he's a big baby himself!" Lisanna suggested when she checked in on Natsu and Lucy while they were at Gajeel and Levy's house. It was a nice place - even Natsu took note of that - however, to Natsu's complaint, it stank of Gajeel.

"There's also the time he hatched Happy," Lisanna added.

This was later into the second day they were looking after Athena.

The baby started crying... _AGAIN!_

"NATSU, WHAT DOES SHE WANT _NOW?!_" Lucy cried out, the baby in her arms.

Natsu came into the room with a finger rubbing the inside of one of his ears: "No need to be so loud, I can hear you from anywhere in here."

"Why's she crying?" Lucy asked.

"She's a little too warm in that blanket and she's getting hungry is all."

So Lucy took off the blanket while Natsu got out her food. When Athena was at the table and getting fed, she quieted right away. After she ate, they put her to bed and Natsu decided to lull her to sleep by telling her the story about hatching Happy. It worked.

Ω Ω Ω

Gajeel and Levy got back the morning of the third day of their departure.

"How did you get on?" Levy asked.

"She's great, but having Natsu with me was a big help," Lucy replied.

"Yeah, it must be a dragon-slayer thing because Gajeel seems to be able to understand her better than I can at times," Levy told her. Gajeel brushed past her and found the baby playing on the floor while Natsu sat and watched her.

"Nice to know you didn't destroy the place while looking after her," Gajeel told him.

"What's that supposed to mean? It wasn't like there were monsters attacking!"

A moment after Natsu said those very words, they heard the wind howling, but it was a howl that filled them with dread, especially when they heard the people screaming outside!

Everyone locked eyes with each other. The girls picked up the baby, and they looked outside. They couldn't believe it! There was a dragon flying around Magnolia!

The dragon was dark pewter grey with bright blue stripes, like Acnologia, but that was where the resemblance ended. This dragon was long and slim in build, but overall not very big compared to the dragons they've seen before; it had a pair of silvery-blue antlers with short points that crowned the dragon's head, a pair of bright blue eyes, and a thick and fluffy mane that was blue-black in color. The dragon flew on black wings with the bright blue undersides, and the dragon had a paler underbelly of icy blue... albeit a little darker than that.

"No way! A dragon in MAGNOLIA!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Where'd it come from?" Gajeel asked to no one in particular.

"Why's it here?" Levy asked.

"Maybe for a challenge?" Natsu offered, he turned to Happy: "C'mon, little buddy, let's give it a greeting it won't soon forget!"

"Aye sir!"

Happy picked him up and carried him into the sky where the dragon was still calmly circling the skies.

"Lily, are you coming?" Gajeel asked. Lily took him to the sky as well.

As they ascended, they also spotted Wendy and Carla coming to join them.

"Carla, get me above the dragon," she spoke. So, Carla brought Wendy higher and over the dragon's back: "SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

A direct hit!

The dragon's flight was shaken and it looked up to see what hit her. The dragon's eyes widened when it found Wendy preparing another attack.

"FIRE DRAGON KING ROAR!"

"IRON SHADOW DRAGON ROAR!"

More hits! The dragon roared in pain and then growled at its attackers.

With a great stroke of its wings the dragon launched itself into a course for the lake behind the guildhall. It then let out a breath attack that froze the water solid and landed. The dragon looked over to the approaching slayers and stood proud with wings on display, but it didn't growl or do anything to suggest that it was going to pick a fight.

"Alright, so we're dealing with an ice dragon! I should be able to melt this guy!" Natsu declared.

The dragon took a step back.

"Natsu, water may melt ice, but it will then become the water that puts out your flames," Carla told him.

Gajeel leapt into action: "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: KARMA DEMON IRON GODSWORD!"

Just as Gajeel swung the sword, the dragon gave its wings a massive stroke, stirring up ice and snow.

"Did you get it?" Natsu asked him?

Gajeel's arms changed back: "No, the snow got in my eyes and the dragon dodged me."

They heard the dragon growling and then a loud stomp on the ice. The lake broke into massive cracks, launching the slayers into the air, and getting caught by their Exceed companions.

The dragon looked up and let out a roar - not a breath attack.

"LIGHTNING FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Natsu shouted. His roar connected, but the dragon shielded itself with an ice-coated wing which shielded the dragon from the attack and reflected some of it back at its attackers, Lily and Carla had to help their dragon slayers dodge the scattered lightning-fire attack, Gajeel actually took a small hit from that.

"Happy, take me down," Natsu ordered. Happy swooped down and dropped Natsu near the dragon: "FIRE DRAGON SWORDHORN!" the hit connected to the dragon's shoulder, knocking it off its stance, though it caught itself with its wings.

"IRON DRAGON LACE!"

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

Again, those attacks connected, and that's when Wendy observed: "Wait, there's something up with this dragon, its going down too easy."

"It's a dragon in Magnolia, Wendy, what do you think its doing here?" Carla asked.

"I don't know, it hasn't spoken, and it also hasn't made any move to attack us. Also, I think it's young, this dragon may have a long body, but it isn't very big overall... Smaller than our parents that's for sure."

At her insistence, Carla flew her down to Natsu and Gajeel and she told them what just came to her. So Natsu stepped forward and called out: "Hey dragon, what are you doing here at Fairy Tail's turf? Why aren't you fighting us?"

The dragon craned its head over to them and curled back its lips as it snarled: "So, it's a fight that you really want from me?" The dragon's voice was decidedly female.

"Yeah, it's what we're known for!" Natsu shouted back.

The dragon drew her head back and growled: "Then it's a fight you'll get!"

Much of the same resumed, and it drew an audience as the dragon started attacking, but even then, Wendy noticed that it couldn't be going all-out.

The lake was taking on a new shape as the dragon used the ice to attack. She breathed ice, stirred up mini blizzards with her wings, and made their area shake with her physical attacks.

Then at one point, the dragon stirred up another blizzard - this time laced with hailstones. While the dragon was obscured, Gajeel had to turn his skin into armor, Wendy had to use her winds to redirect the blizzard away from her, Natsu relied on turning himself into a human fireball - it wasn't the greatest shield, but it reduced the damage he would've taken, and the Exceed Squad took cover where they could find it.

When the dragon came out to reveal itself again, they saw that it had taken human form wearing an ice-blue outfit. She shaped the ice as the ran, encircling the dragon slayers. She then jumped to make her attack, and the slayers jumped up to meet her too.

That was when they saw that their opponent was Zyma.

"Antibody FREEZE," she cast in a low voice, and her spell struck each dragon slayer in the chest. A brief bolt of pain coursed through them and then they dropped to their knees. As she approached, her eyes reflected an ice cold anger.

"Meet me inside," Zyma snarled. She then turned on her heel and headed over to the guildhall.

Ω Ω Ω

**What's in store for Fairy Tail now?**


	14. Chapter 14: It Thinks with Tactics

**Chapter XIV**

**It Thinks with Tactics**

Zyma stood near a back corner of the guildhall with a frosted glass of blood orange juice in her hand and a chill carried through the air around her.

Once inside the guildhall, the dragon slayers, Erza, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Levy were gathered before Zyma.

"You really shouldn't bother dragons when they're not showing any threat. I was just flying and minding my own business, but I'm going to let your unprovoked attack on me slide, for now," she stated.

"What was that last spell you hit us with?" Wendy asked.

"Ignore that, since when are you a dragon?" Natsu interjected.

Zyma looked between her guild mates throughout the hall before replying: "I really have Macau to thank for that."

"_Me_?!" Macau exclaimed.

"Indeed, when he first shook my hand, he announced that I was _'as cold as death'_. Well, being a practitioner of Cold Magic, I can use whatever spell I can associate with the cold... and in the depths of the Magic Library, I found materials on Death Magic."

Eyes and faces turned to fear.

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't learn Death Magic to _cause _death, but to become a bridge between the living and the dead."

"Why would you want such power? Surly it must come with a price," Erza demanded.

"It did, I had to become a disciple to the god Ankhseram, the very one that can punish a mortal through the Curse of Contradiction... The very curse that was placed on Mavis Vermilion and Zeref. However, I now have the ability to visit the Necropolis and gain the knowledge of those passed on... including the dragons. It was there where I learned everything that I now know about Dragon Magic, and what it does when _humans_ use it... or rather what it is _supposed _to do," Zyma replied.

"What so you mean by that?" Natsu demanded.

"Has anyone ever noticed that through continued use, a wizard's magic eventually shapes their body? I've read of Warrod, one of Fairy Tail's founding members, he's turned from a human to a walking and talking tree. In Mermaid Heel, there's Milliana who's magic gave her cat ears and a tail... Need I continue?" Zyma replied, but when she didn't get an answer she continued on with this: "These transformations bring a form of balance between a wizard's body and their magic."

A chill filled the air in the whole tavern, and it was debatable if Zyma was the cause of it.

She continued: "During my visit to the Necropolis, I found myself rather angered when those magnificent dragons told me that after the slayers destroyed the hostile dragons of centuries ago, those very same slayers turned and betrayed the very dragons that gave them their gifts! How dare we humans cause the near-complete extinction of such magnificent creatures! That's what I thought at the time. So, I told some of them that with my newfound gift of Death Magic and my willingness to learn Dragon Magic, I was in the unique position to help them resurrect their race."

"What! You can't go against nature like that!" Lucy exclaimed.

Zyma's eyes lit with a knowing glow as she replied in a villainous tone: "How I aim to achieve this goal follows the laws of nature and the law of the nature of magic. It's not like I plan on reviving dead dragons... That would put me in a rather perilous fix with Ankhseram... My plan is to simply create new dragons! Not only can I cross into the Necropolis, but I can bring others with me... However, I learned about Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel's antibodies; which brings me back to Wendy's initial question. To answer it, I _froze_ those antibodies."

Natsu leaped into action and pinned Zyma to the floor: "Our parents gave us those so we wouldn't become the next Acnologia!"

"I know, and I've met Acnologia in the Necropolis!" Zyma snapped. With a 'POOF' she turned into a cloud of snowflakes and materialized standing before her guild mates: "I'm not some naive little girl... The cold has a way of preservation and slowing things down. Therefore, I may look like I'm 12-13, but I'm really well into my twenties. I did my research and learned that Acnologia was insane... Also, Natsu, how dare you fear turning into a monster like that! You're a Fairy Tail wizard! You're the one who would do _everything_ to save his friends... and as monstrous as your _origins_ are, you still fight to hold on to your humanity... but you'll never be fully human with the type of magic you wield... There was always a bit of dragon in you."

"So now you're going to take away _all_ my humanity along with Gajeel and Wendy's?"

"No, I've done my part with you. All I'd have to do now is wait until your magic transforms you, and I would have achieved my goal with you.

"We don't want to be dragons!" Wendy cried.

Zyma raised a hand, she was about to speak when Gajeel blurted out: "I'm not going to give up my humanity and family to bring dragons back!"

"I expected that at you'd protest, but let me clear things up for you: I'm _not_ taking away your humanity... well not your sense of it at least. I'm a dragon now, but I've retained my sense of humanity. I've found that it's a matter of finding the balance between the human and dragon. I also don't mean to break up families," Zyma cast a look to Lucy and Levy, and then she continued: "If they truly love you, they wouldn't care if you're human or dragon, but I see that you still oppose me. I truly don't understand why, all I want to do is bring dragons back into this world, give you dragon mages the chance to reach your fullest potential, and give you the strength to always be able to protect your friends. Still, if you truly fear becoming a dragon, then I propose a fight for your humanity, I will unfreeze your antibodies if the three of you can defeat me in battle. You can even go at me with your full power, but you'll lose the moment you develop one permanent scale. If you get that one scale, then your magic will have destroyed your antibodies. If you lose, then I will take all of Fairy Tail on a trip to the Necropolis, where they can meet anyone they please, or give lost loved ones a true goodbye or thank you."

"What about us? Don't we get a say in any of this?" Lucy asked, her tone demanding.

Zyma gave her and Levy a severe look: "As I've said before: If you truly love your dragon mages, you wouldn't care if they've transformed or not... You do have a choice if they do transform. After all, I can bring you before almost every dragon that's ever lived, all you would have to do is pick an element."

"What about Athena?" Levy asked.

"She's the reason why I wouldn't want to unfreeze Gajeel. All the parenting Gajeel recalls having as a child was with Metallicana. It would make sense to me if he made a better parent as a dragon than as a human. Athena would also have the potential to practice her father's magic, and if she learned that from him, then she wouldn't have the antibodies that her father has."

Levy held the baby closer to her.

"What would you do when we defeat you?" Natsu asked.

"I believe you mean '_if_' you defeat me... I would unfreeze your antibodies and seek out good-hearted individuals who wouldn't scorn this offering. Also, if you do win, then my offer for everyone having a free trip to the Necropolis will go up in smoke. My price of admission would be 80,000J."

"What does it cost you to go there?" Erza asked.

"For every round trip, I must reap the soul of the dying and bring it to the afterlife. Those deaths won't be caused by my doing - of course - that would go against the deal I've made with Ankhseram. However, I still have to see them die, and I can sense when a life is ready to leave us. It isn't a high price, but it is a sad one... The battle will be at Cowbane Canyon, I'll create a road when our arena is ready, and feel free to discuss tactics. Remember, you don't have to restrain your attacks with me."

"You don't think that we can hurt you?" Gajeel asked.

"With the right tactics you certainly can... Ah, Erza, would you please summon one of your swords?"

Erza summoned one and Zyma gave her a bracelet made of ice and used it to control her arm so that Erza ran the blade through her chest. Everyone looked at Zyma in horror, but she was already smiling. She released Erza and then pulled the sword out of her chest, her wound didn't bleed as it was already filled with ice and frost.

"You can cause me pain, but as you've seen, I'm tough to kill... Now before I leave, I have a present," she spoke, and she held out a box with three bracelets in it.

"What're those?" Natsu asked.

"Bracelets with a motion-sickness lacrima in them. Wear one and you'll be able to ride vehicles," Zyma replied, as she passed one to each dragon slayer and then just left.

The others gathered at a table and ordered a round of something to drink.

"We better discuss tactics," Erza spoke.

"I agree, but I just want to take her down!" Natsu added.

"Hold on, Natsu, this isn't like other battles. In this case if you don't beat her in time, you're going to turn into a dragon... and I don't know what we can expect if _that_ happens," Gray told him.

"It's going to be quite the challenge. If you use your most powerful spells, you're sure to do some damage, but I'm willing to bet that you'd change quicker. If you restrain yourselves too much, then you're not going to cause her enough damage, and you'd still end up destroying your antibodies," Lucy stated/

"It would seem that the best course of action would be to hit her hard and fast... but she really doesn't want you to win, and we don't know how she's going to fight," Erza added.

"We've seen her fight," Juvia told them while holding up Gray's hand.

"You may have some insight, but in this challenge, she doesn't even need to attack. To win, she just has to play the defensive until Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy use their magic enough to form that one permanent scale. It won't do Zyma any good if she ends up knocking them out. That being said, she's going to restrain herself, though her attacks are likely to be enough where she'd force you to use your magic to protect yourselves. It also wouldn't surprise me if she supplied you dragon slayers with easy access to your elements for you to eat," Erza replied.

"If she does bring in fire and iron, then I'd bet that they would have extra power in them so they would make it too easy for you to trigger Dragonforce," Levy stated.

"One method that you guys could aim for is a self-sacrifice," Juvia spoke.

"Will you explain?" Erza asked.

"If one dragon slayer is willing to transform, they can wear out Zyma with physical attacks as well as use more powerful magic. If one does transform, then she might be more willing to unfreeze the remaining two."

Wendy's lips quivered before she announced: "I would take that place then!"

Gajeel put a hand on her shoulder: "No offense, kid, but if only one of us is going to transform, then you would be Zyma's last pick. She'd rather have me because she'd count on Levy to take up her offer and my daughter following suit. She'd want Natsu too because she'd hope to get Lucy as well, also Natsu has also defeated the most dragons. She'd want him to replace the lives he took."

Natsu pouted, his eyes were in a scowl.

"Would you make that choice, Gajeel?" Levy asked.

"I wouldn't want to unless you were willing to accept that same fate, and I wouldn't want to force that choice on you," Gajeel replied.

"If that's the choice, then it clearly begs for more discussion at your homes," Erza spoke, looking between Gajeel and Natsu.

"We shouldn't _have_ to choose! Zyma could've at least asked us if we wanted any part in this!" Natsu snapped.

"I wouldn't have said 'yes', neither of us would, so she gave us the push she needed," Gajeel replied.

"Master, shouldn't this move get her kicked out of the guild?" Lucy asked, looking over her shoulder.

"If she transformed the dragon slayers and refused them of a means to turn back, I would have to take disciplinary actions, but she's clear in her motives and it would be the dragon slayers who'd end up causing their transformation. Zyma just eliminated their means of protection against it. I also doubt that kicking her out of the guild would really affect her, she's already been so distant, and she doesn't really need a job to survive anymore. I would think it best for Fairy Tail to keep her as an ally rather than risking her becoming an enemy," Mararov replied.

"No punishment?" they exclaimed.

"Zyma wants to bring back good dragons, she wants to make them stronger, and she's offering the whole guild a priceless gift for her victory. She was sincere when she told you that she didn't aim to take anything away from you as well. I say that you should settle this in your fight or accept what she's offered you. She isn't breaking the law, and having to endure a fight with you kids will bring her all the punishment she needs. So, if you fight, there's your revenge, and her punishment."

Wendy's head thumped onto the table: "I thought she was our friend," she cried.

"She was a polite house guest too, and she took a liking to us," Levy added.

"Wait, that ice sculpture of us when she made that blizzard!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"What about them?" Natsu asked.

"Mine was of me dancing with Levy, along with a dragon dancing with a fairy, what did yours look like?"

"I was throwing dragon-shaped flames," Natsu replied.

"Mine was of me healing someone while I looked like I was in the Dragonforce, but I also had a pair of full feathered wings on my back," Wendy spoke.

"She's been planning this for a long time now," Gajeel stated.

"Well we know that now, so how are you going to deal with her?" Lucy asked.

"I don't think that one of us should deliberately have to sacrifice themselves for her mission. We either win or lose together, but I aim to win!" Natsu announced.

"So do I!" Wendy announced.

"You still don't have a tactic!" Erza exclaimed.

Lucy sat and thought for a minute before coming up with: "Out of the three dragon slayers, Gajeel's magic has the most substance. Zyma demonstrated that while she survive a sword running through her chest, she can still feel pain, and pushing through that pain will take stamina. Defeating her will be a matter of either knocking her out or making her lose her will to fight. Gajeel is likely your best choice for attacking. Wendy would probably play for the best defense."

"What about me?" Natsu asked.

"I suppose that you could provide smoke screens by combining your fire with her ice."

"That's not a bad idea, Lucy, but Gray and Juvia have seen her use frost like a spider's web. If something steps on a line of this frost, she would know exactly where they are," Juvia spoke.

"A smoke screen might also cause you guys to waste your magic on hits that won't connect if she decides to take advantage of them. If you want to win, you need to be certain that you're going to land a hit," Gray stated.

"Natsu, your best bet may be to work with Gajeel and use your Lightning Flame Dragon Mode. Lightning is quick, powerful, and can conduct through water, leaving her very little way in defending that," Lucy spoke.

"That mode uses a lot of magic," Natsu replied.

"That's why she said that you'd have to back me up. I can use my Iron Dragon Sword on her and that doesn't require much out of me, but to do more damage, Wendy may need to use her enchantments to amplify its strength. My Iron Shadow Dragon Mode would give me an edge on stealth, and if she can become one with ice like Rogue can become one with his shadow, then I should be able to pursue her," Gajeel stated.

They agreed on their new tactics and headed home for the night.

Ω Ω Ω

After putting Athena to bed, Levy cuddled up to Gajeel on a couch as he was munching on some iron bolts.

"Are you worried, Gajeel?" she asked.

"A but... Dammit we're in a tricky situation, and that little brat ain't going to go down easy," he replied.

"Listen, Gajeel... No matter what the outcome is, I want to be with you, and I want you to be with us," Levy spoke, her eyes casting a glance to Athena's room.

He held her closer, she always made him feel better, but there was something else on his mind: "Levy, that offer the brat made for her victory..."

"The free trip to the Necropolis?"

"Yeah, that... She made that offer to give us a reason for not wanting to win."

Levy looked up and told him: "Well we can save up for a trip if you'd want to go, though I'm wondering whom you'd want to see that you'd - even briefly - consider losing."

"It would be nice to see Metallicana again and I would want to speak to Belno."

"Belno? From the former magic council?"

Gajeel recalled their mission against Tartaros, he aimed to save Belno from Zeref's demons, but they didn't get to her in time. There was a time when Belno tried to steer Gajeel to a life that has meaning, she wanted to look out for him, and in the end he couldn't save her.

"If you really want to go see them, we can save up for a trip then," Levy told him.

"80,000J is a lot, and there are more important things we can put that money towards," he replied, casting a look to Athena's room.

"Well, Natsu and Wendy are counting on you too, and I want you to fight with everything you got, if only to put Zyma in her place! Win or lose the battle, I'm still here for you, and I'll be there to cheer you on."

"As will I!" Patherlily announced holding up a paw.

"Alright, then I'll make her regret picking this fight with us!" Gajeel told them with a wicked grin.

Ω Ω Ω

Wendy and Carla were visiting Natsu and Lucy, much to Happy's delight. Natsu was pouting while eating some of the fire out of the oven. Until it was time for the battle, the dragon slayers were refraining from using their magic, but they were also gathering magic power.

"Natsu,are you alright?" Wendy asked.

"I'll be fine, I'm just wondering what's the best move to beat that jerk! Who does she think she is trying to play us like this?"

"As strange as it may seem, I think that she's thinks she's our friend, but one who's angry at us," Wendy replied.

"Why do you say that?" Lucy asked as she set the table.

"Up until today, she's always been nice and polite to us, like a Mary-Sue type of girl. Today we attacked her, looking back at today's fight she held no sense of hostility before we attacked. We've just dealt with a lot of bad experiences with dragons that we just assumed that she was going to attack. It also doesn't help her case that she's a dark dragon with blue markings. Then she's learned what happened to the dragons, and it seems that she's really taken a liking for them," Wendy replied.

"Yeah, well a friend wouldn't want to make us into something that we're not," Natsu told her.

"She's still giving you a chance to get her to unfreeze your antibodies... Although, win or lose this battle, I'll be there for you," Lucy stated.

"Thanks Lucy!" Natsu and Wendy replied.

"Now, how about we eat now?" Lucy asked.

They swarmed the table.

Ω Ω Ω

**Coming up next is the epic battle between Zyma and the Dragon Slayers!**


	15. Chapter 15: It Catches with Claws

**Chapter XV**

**It Catches with Claws **

A few days had passed, and it was the middle of the morning when a road of ice crept up to the main doors of the guildhall. A young lady stood before the door for a moment before knocking. When the door opened, she announced: "Come one, come all, come all the champions; Zyma Valkoinen invites you to witness an epic battle between the Queen of Winter and the Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail!"

"It's go time," Natsu growled to himself. The dragon slayers fixed Zyma's motion sickness bracelets to their person.

The guild stood on the road of ice when horses and carriages of snow emerged.

"Would the champions come to the front carriage, please?" the guide called out.

The front carriage was large and was the fanciest, but with minimal decoration, just a more elegant shape with some figures of dancing fairies. The remaining carriages were rather basic.

"There's room for two more and three Exceeds!" Natsu called out. So Lucy and Levy joined them along with their Exceed companions. Levy also had the baby in her arms.

With everyone loaded up, the snow horses set off into a brisk trot for Cowbane Canyon.

Ω Ω Ω

As the trip went on, more roads joined them, more guilds were going to see this battle, the most notable were Sabretooth and Blue Pegasus, and soon they saw their destination. The horizon gave them the view of a grand arena made entirely of ice, more magnificent than Domus Flau in Crocus.

The structure was huge with an entryway that looked like a small palace leading into a great oblong area crowned with magnificent spires.

"Now that's some ice magic!" Gray declared.

The carriages pulled to a halt at the entrance, Natsu and Gajeel helped the girls out of theirs and everyone followed their guides inside. There was one for every guild.

"Winter Queen Zyma constructed this area herself and has asked us to give you all a tour!" the Fairy Tail guide announced.

When the entrance opened up to a hall, it revealed the most impressive sculptures of the Fairy Tail members. Every member was dressed in some form of regal fashion, in a battle stance, and flexing their magic. Below each sculpture was a placard detailing their greatest achievements. One of Elfman's listed achievements was defeating Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus during the Grand Magic Games, one from Laxus was when he saved the Thunder Legion from the Tempester of Tartaros, and one from Cana was when she saved the guild with her cards when a bomb exploded in the guildhall.

"How did she know all of this?" Laxus asked.

"She clearly did her research," Freed replied.

"I feel like she's trying to flatter us," Erza stated as she looked at her sculpture. She was dressed beautifully with swords in hand and a confident face, looking almost like a goddess of war.

Further into the arena the sculptures turned from Fairy Tail guild members to those of dragons. These weren't quite as ornately detailed, but they were posed proudly. Their placards detailed their names, their elements, their stance on human co-existence, and the dragon slayer who killed them... Acnologia came up several times, Irene Belserion was also mentioned a few times, and then there was one sculpture of Acnologia himself: _Acnologia the Arcane Dragon, Element: Magic, Defeated by all of Fiore_.

There was a great number of these sculptures.

"Wow, she must've met all of them," Wendy spoke.

Natsu then happened upon a sculpture of Animus, a dragon with crystalline wings, and he found his name as the dragon slayer that defeated him.

* * *

After a while of looking, the guides then had the group move on.

"The champions will go into this room here, in there you will prepare and dress for battle. The Winter Queen has provided you a change of clothes," the guide from Sabretooth told them.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy looked back to their friends for a brief moment before stepping inside.

They found a small locker room with their names on one of the three lockers. Inside were outfits that were close to the ones they were wearing, but made of warmer and more durable cloth and in shades of blues and black.

On the opposite side of the locker room was a set of large doors.

"Once those doors open, we hit Zyma fast and we hit her hard," Natsu told them.

"You're backing me up, remember Salamander?" Gajeel replied as he changed and placed his normal clothes in the locker.

"These are actually nice," Wendy remarked when she changed her outfit.

"How does the air taste, Wendy?" Natsu asked.

Wendy put a finger to her mouth: "It's very clean with a bit of extra etherion it seems... If I eat this, it will give me a major power boost."

"So there may be some food with extra nutrients for us," Natsu replied looking over to Gajeel.

* * *

Now dressed, the dragon slayers awaited the door to the area's opening. When it did, they stepped outside with determination on their faces.

The battlefield was big enough for a few dragons to move around in, and the floor was smooth ice! The walls also boasted carvings of dragon faces. On the opposite side of the field, Zylma sat on an icy throne at the top of a sweeping staircase of snow and frost. Her form was obscured with curtains of ice and frost.

In the middle of the arena, their guide announced: "Presenting the Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail: Natsu Dragneel the Salamander, Wendy Marvel the Sky Maiden, and Black Steel Gajeel Redfox! Now... their opponent: The Winter Queen Zyma Valkoinen!"

The ice curtains parted to reveal Zyma sitting askance in her throne, dressed in a rather queenly gown of snow white, ice blue, and decorated in trims of silver, and on her head sat a crown of icicles. She stood up gracefully while the guide ran up the stairs to give her a microphone.

Zyma looked over to the crowd - now seated in the stands - and she laid out everything: what the fight was for, the stakes, and the rewards. In hearing this, the dragon slayers of Sabretooth, Sting and Rogue, developed some sweat upon their brows. If Zyma knew about them, and their powers, what would keep her from going after them next to freeze their antibodies?

Zyma sent the guide to the stands, ice partisans erupted to protect the crowd, and then Zyma announced: "There are no rules to this battle! They can come at me with everything they've got, and if their magic runs low, there's food for them!"

With a wave of her hand, sconces of rainbow-colored flames appeared along the walls of the arena, the most beautiful flames that Natsu had ever seen, and then there were sconces of iron for Gajeel, no doubt of high quality and purity; no doubt that these treats would make it too easy for them to trigger the Dragonforce.

As Zyma descended the stairs, her gown gradually shifted into a battle suit with each step.

"You know, I was hoping that you wouldn't come. I really didn't want to fight you, I just wanted you to accept what I've trying to give you. The three of you would make for a magnificent set of dragons."

"I'm not going to go like that without a fight, and I want you to show everyone just what you are before I pound you!" Natsu snarled.

"I intend to," Zyma replied coolly.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" a guide turned announced called out.

"Ice Make: Wings!" Zyma called out, and suddenly all combatants had a pair of magic wings on their backs.

Wendy took flight immediately, and they all let out their roars on Zyma. They shot her across the arena, and aside from looking a little singed, she was fine. She was soon all healed up and her battle suit mended. With a few twirls of her wrist, she conjured up three massive snowballs to throw at each opponent.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

"IRON DRAGON ROAR!

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

The snowballs were obliterated.

"C'mon, you guys should've dodged those!" Lucy shouted.

The dragon slayers made a realization, they've just used spells that didn't even touch Zyma. That wasn't good, especially if they kept it up.

Zyma then switched to throwing blades of ice their way, just to step up her game. This turned into a game of dodging and agility. Gajeel covered himself in his iron armor and dodged all he could, Wendy redirected the blades' trajectory, and Natsu resorted to dodging while turning himself into a blazing fireball.

"Come on, give it to her guys!" Sting of Sabertooth called out

"If we keep using our magic on defense we'll never beat her! She's not even using half of her power!" Wendy cried out, looking to her comrades.

Zyma heard it though and put the fight to a pause by saying: "Yeah, and I don't think that you're going all out on me either... I suppose that we'll have to up the ante."

The Dragon Slayers awaited her move, she obliged them by flexing her ice wings, skating on the soles of her boots, and initiating an attack: "WINTER DRAGON ROAR!"

"IRON DRAGON ROAR!"

The two attacks collided, tangled, and then exploded. Every fighter had to put up a form of shield thanks to those two attacks.

In the stands, Levy was already holding Patherlily in a hug that was a little too tight.

Zyma then tried out something new. She formed raised paths of ice that she could skate on, she effectively turned the arena into her own skate park the way her ramps and paths flowed. Natsu didn't like her showing off and hit her with one of his roars, though it didn't seem to leave much of a mark.

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

Now that hit launched Zyma into the air! She flew across the arena and looked like she was about to land on her head when she hit the ice, but instead of landing with a crash that cracked the ground, Zyma wend 'SHLOOP' and dove into the ice as if it were water... just thicker.

Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel gathered around where she landed. She was suspended within the ice with an annoyingly smug look on her face. She then moved her arms and kicked her legs to _swim_ in the ice! She was swimming in the ice!

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" Natsu yelled but when he punched the floor it didn't quite shatter the way he wanted it to. It cracked and chipped, but he didn't put nearly enough magic into it.

"Well, that didn't work," he muttered.

"You shouldn't have thrown that punch. Clearly we're not going to beat her relying on our basic attacks,"Gajeel told him.

"Do you think that you can punch through it?" Wendy asked him.

"I could, but it's not going to do any good."

Suddenly a column of ice shot up from between them, making them jump back a few feet.

Zyma was still swimming in solid ice.

"I've got an idea. I should be able to pursue her in the ice in my Iron-Shadow Dragon mode. When I catch her I'm going to get her airborne and I'm going to need the two of you to hit her hard!"

"Right, it sounds good to me!" Wendy replied.

Gajeel sank into his shadow and chased after Zyma within the ice, but she had another trick too, she became one with the ice around her. It was very much like how Juvia could become one with the water of a river. This allowed her figure to move much faster in the ice than her human body could, but Gajeel's shadow was closing in.

"GET HER GAJEEL! GET HER!" Levy shouted. Rogue of Sabertooth was also cheering for him in his own way.

"Natsu, she's one with the ice now, and this whole battlefield was created by her magic. I think that you need to hit it, just aim for the floor and give it something big! I think that it would damage her!" Wendy declared.

Natsu cast his Brilliant Flame spell and a scream echoed through the arena. Zyma felt a moment of crippling pain, allowing Gajeel the time he needed to club her out of the ice. Natsu and Wendy zeroed in on her and prepared their attacks:

"FLAME LOTUS PHOENIX SWORD!"

"SKY DRILL!"

"WINTER DRAGON SECRET ART: BLIZZARD RAGE!" Zyma cried out, unleashing a great blast of power. The spell felt somewhat like Natsu's Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade. Though her move looked like it could slice and dice a person and then explode like a grenade. Zyma's spell reduced the damage that Natsu and Wendy inflicted on her, and even dealt them a little damage.

"That was a good strategy you guys came up with; and this is getting to be an interesting fight. I wonder how well I can handle your other strong attacks," Zyma told them.

Gajeel performed one of his great flying leaps: "IRON-SHADOW DRAGON ROAR!"

That attack only grazed his target, but it did a great job at putting some cracks into the icy floor.

What followed next was a great barrage of attacks. All of them traded attacks and defenses. Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu had figured out how to organize their attacks, but both parties were still holding their own, however the guys were now casting glances at the food that Zyma had provided. She still wasn't done fighting and they had been going at it for a while, even though they haven't been giving it their all. Zyma - as she was - certainly wasn't either, she was still human.

"What's going on with you guys? I would have figured that this fight would have been over by now. Your scents haven't changed so you still have your antibodies, but I'm still going strong... What's the matter? Do you need me to pose a greater threat to you? Would fighting me in my other form be more motivating for you?" Zyma asked. A flurry of snow stirred up around her. She then twirled, engulfing herself in a whirlwind of snow that swelled in size, and it quickly dissipated to reveal a dragon!

Gasps sounded from the crowd and screams sounded when Zyma puffed up her chest, displayed her wings, and let out a tremendous roar! She then smiled an honest happy smile with not a hint of malice: "They scream, but they really have nothing to fear from me. Come now, Dragon-slayers, it's not like you can kill me!"

"Guys, I think that now's the time for good ol' Plan T, go big or go home," Natsu told the others. Now they went into a quick barrage of their strongest attacks, even though by now they were starting to run low on power.

"GET HER, NATSU AND SHOW HER WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH THE SALAMANDER!" Lucy and Happy cheered.

They were ready for every trick. They ate their available elements - which of course made them brim with magical power and triggered the Dragonforce - and went into their special modes.

Wendy cast her Sky Drill Again, knocking Zyma off her feet, Gajeel slashed at her with an Iron-Shadow Karma Demon Godsword, and Natsu let her have it with his Exploding Flame Blade.

Zyma felt real pain and took some damage, but those attacks caused the ice floor to shatter beneath them. The others fell, but Zyma swooped down to catch them and then flew them high into the air. For a short while they had flashbacks of their dragons giving them awesome rides.

"You have the potential to fly by your own wings and to give others the same feeling that you are experiencing now. The price you have to pay is just a small piece of your humanity," Zyma whispered to them.

"Take us down, we still have some fight in us!" Natsu shouted. Zyma took his order, restored the floor, and landed gracefully.

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

"LIGHTNING FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

"IRON SHADOW DRAGON HARD FIST!

Though Wendy didn't have an alternate mode, she was in the Dragonforce now.

In response to that last barrage, Zyma resorted to a flying attack and breathed her ice over them. Gajeel managed to escape from the icy embrace in his shadow, Natsu managed to burn his way out of the trap but then he had to help out Wendy.

For the next stretch, Zuma mostly played the defensive, and she was starting to look battered up. Gajeel had resorted to using another Karma Demon Godsword, this time his sword really carved deep into Zyma's chest. She let out a great roar of pain, but eyes were widened when the crowd saw that she didn't bleed.

"Damn, I can feel how cold she is through my sword," Gajeel muttered.

"Get it out of her, I'm going to have to heal her now! She won't be able to make good on her promises if she's dead or bedridden for days!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Tell Natsu to hold back first," he replied.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"

Zyma was able to shield part of that attack with her wing, although her mane got singed some, and her head hurt.

"Natsu, I need to heal her! We can't knock her out if we expect her to unfreeze our antibodies!" Wendy cried out. Natsu backed down for a bit, Gajeel withdrew his sword, and Wendy healed Zyma... not completely, but enough so she wasn't in agony anymore.

The Dragon-Slayers regrouped, saw that Zyma was on the verge of exhaustion, and they finally let out one last barrage of strong attacks:

"IRON-SHADOW DRAGON LANCE DEMON LOGS!"

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

"FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME!"

An explosion engulfed Zyma, she staggered out of it as it was clearing away, and finally collapsed with her face holding a grimace of pain.

"I am defeated!" she announced.

The crowd watching them erupted into cheers for Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy. They took in their admiration for a while before Wendy told Zyma: "Now it's time to make good on your promise and unfreeze our antibodies!"

She raised her claws and made the incantation, but then her eyes widened and she tried again. It was strange because they could sense that she was using her magic; she attempted to remove her antibody-freezing spell one more time before she raised her head up higher and told them: "I can't, I'm sorry, but they're gone... Somewhere on your bodies lies a permanent dragon scale... Your magic must've destroyed the antibodies with that last attack."

"NO!" Wendy cried while the other two just glared at Zyma.

"Calm down, there's still some time before you eventually transform. There will be even more time if you hold off using your magic for a while, and when it eventually happens I'll be able to show you how to take human form again... I'll also make good on my word to take the guild to the Necropolis."

Natsu and Gajeel each put a hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"C'mon, Wendy, we're going to walk away from her with our heads high," Gajeel told her.

"Yeah, and we're going to stick close to you," Natsu added.

The three of them turned their backs to Zyma and left their arena, their heads held high, but there were mixed expressions of anger and worry on their faces.

Ω Ω Ω

Once they were in the locker room, they changed their clothes and that was when they spotted the permanent scales on their bodies. Wendy had a small patch above her right ankle, Gajeel's was over his left scapula, and Natsu had a patch on his left forearm. These patches were only three scales, but it was enough to keep Zyma from taking back her spell.

"If you guys want, you can come over to my place, there are going to be some things that we need to talk about with our friends," Natsu spoke.

"I think I'll take you up on that," Gajeel replied. Wendy also agreed.

Ω Ω Ω

Once the stands were cleared, Zyma limped and staggered her way to a cozier spot in her arena, formed a nice bed of ice, and rested upon it. She had just figured a comfortable spot when she heard Master Makarov approach.

"I really should take disciplinary actions against you for what happened today, even though we don't have any rules for freeing antibodies to keep a dragon-slayer from transforming," he spoke.

"Their magic wants to transform them into dragons, their dragons feared that if that happened then they would become the next Acnologia, but what those dragons didn't count on was that they would become Fairy Tail Wizards. Even when their bodies become dragons, they will still be your Fairy Tail children at heart, Master; they will still be Fairy Tail Wizards."

"Why did you seek to destroy those antibodies in the first place?"

"They went against the nature of magic. Like I've said before, I've noticed that a wizard's magic shapes their bodies through continued use; it is a form of balance between the wizard and their magic. However, I then wondered what would happen if something upset that balance. If a wizard's magic couldn't shape their body, then where would it get that release? I then feared that it would then reshape their minds. Imagine being a dragon permanently stuck in a human body. You wouldn't be able to soar through the skies; you'd feel tiny, weak, and vulnerable, and you'd be uncomfortable in your own skin... I think that they would've gone insane."

"You really believe that you did this for their benefit?" Makarov asked.

"I did it for them, I did it for their family, I did it for me, and I did it for the dragons. Master... I've _always_ been powerful, but I wasn't able to protect those I cared about in Helleborus. Now I know that Fairy Tail will always have the protection it needs, and I've found a purpose for my life."

"You _'did it for their family'_?"

"Yes Master... Little Athena will be able to use dragon magic, but she won't have the antibodies her father had. If she was to learn that magic, to whom would she turn to when she eventually transformed? The same would go for any child that Natsu fathers or that Wendy mothers. Furthermore, the dragons were their parents... Sure, they had other adults to give them guidance, but the greatest parental influence they had was a dragon. How would that translate into a human?"

"I see what you mean, Zyma, though I can't say that I really approve of it. You should do your best to make amends - or at least peace - with them now."

"I aim to, Master. When the time comes, they'll be able to find me on Mount Hakabe, and I'll be able to show them how to take human form again. Also, if you find out that other guild members have become dragons, then be rest assured that it happened by their choice... Though I can't say with any certainty if there will be any more than what I've started with," Zyma replied.

Makarov gave her another look and then returned to his guild with his children.

Ω Ω Ω

**I've really been thinking about the dragons and those antibodies. Has anyone else thought up the same theory as me? I really do think that somewhere down the line that the dragons' antibodies would have caused some serious mental turmoil in their dragon-slayer children. **


	16. Chapter 16: Ship It

**Chapter XVI**

**Ship It**

It was a somber mood at Natsu's house.

"I can't believe we won and still lost!" Natsu grumbled. Among his guests were Gajeel, Levy, Athena, Lily, Wendy, and Carla.

"You all put up a good fight," Levy replied.

"Yeah, but what's going to happen between us?" Gajeel asked.

"I don't plan on feeling any different about you because you've turned into a dragon... Hopefully Zyma was honest when she said that you weren't going to lose anything."

"Zyma also said that she could create new first-generation dragon-slayers... She offered it to us," Lucy stated, referring to her and Levy.

"You shouldn't make that decision just for our sake," Natsu told her.

"Well... I do find it a tempting idea. Apart from the motion sickness, you guys really put up a great fight; and while I love my spirits, take away my keys and I'll be in a tough spot. If I had another form of magic, then I could at least hold my own for a while," Lucy replied.

"Even then, found a way around the motion sickness with the bracelets she gave you guys..." Levy started.

"What's on your mind, Levy?" Wendy asked.

"Hmm? Sorry, I was just musing over the idea of a couple petites like us becoming dragons."

"DON'T SAY THAT, I CAN'T AVOID IT!" Wendy cried out.

Gajeel laughed and wrapped an arm over Levy: "I'm sure that you'd make for one of the best!" He clearly mused over the idea of Levy becoming a dragon for a moment, but it was quick, and then his face grew serious as he took one of her hands in his: "Listen, if you really want to take up that brat's offer, I ain't going to stop you, Levy; all I'll ask is that you wait and see what happens to us before you make that decision."

"Hey Natsu, if you're going to be a dragon, would you still need me?" Happy asked.

"What? Of course I will, little buddy! I'll need you more than ever. A fire dragon can't fly around inside a building; and who else am I going to fish with?"

"The same thing goes for you too, Lily! You're my cat, you're my friend, and you're a great guard and training buddy!" Gajeel announced.

"I'll still want you by my side, Carla," Wendy spoke.

"I wouldn't dream of leaving it," she replied.

Lucy then served some tea, sushi, and steamed pork buns to share. Pantherlily had brought his own kiwis to snack on and kiwi juice to drink, which he loved to sip on, although he missed the texture of the kiwi's peel.

Gajeel took Athena from Levy's arms so Levy could eat, and he also gave the baby her bottle. Lucy watched in fascination as this big and tough dragon-slayer handled his daughter so gently.

"Here's my question for you guys: How do you want to carry on now? Do you want to work to prolong the inevitable, or would you rather work to get it over with?" Lucy asked.

"I didn't want to be a dragon," Wendy grumbled.

"Well, it's clear that Zyma knows how to switch between human and dragon forms. The sooner you guys transform, the sooner she can teach you how to get back to a human form, and the sooner the inevitable will be off your minds," Levy replied.

"Yeah, but what's it going to cost us?" Wendy asked.

"Zyma said that it's just a small part of humanity, almost nothing, but she's not your average person," Lucy replied.

"I think we should carry on like normal, and just try to enjoy ourselves. We know what's going to happen eventually, but we don't really know how it's going to affect us. We live in the Now, and when it happens we'll find Zyma," Natsu told them.

"That sounds good, and we'll be there for you when you need us," Levy told them.

Carla seemed to be staring in her cup for longer than what was normal. Wendy put a hand on her shoulder and she became alert: "Carla, did you have a vision?"

"I did, but it's really noting to worry about," she replied.

"What did you see?" Wendy asked.

"The _inevitable,_ but it was a good vision. The dragon I saw in it looked at least content if not happy, and it wasn't Zyma. I'll leave it at that and hope that you dragon-slayers can carry on through this night at peace," Carla told them. Happy and Lily looked to Natsu and Gajeel whom still seemed a little tense.

The rest of the meal was quiet, and the guests stayed around to do the dishes.

"So, how's Athena doing?" Lucy asked.

"She's still too young to start teething, walking, or talking, but she's a growing girl with an appetite to match her father!" Levy replied.

"It wouldn't surprise me if she started teething on iron," Lucy told her.

"It wouldn't surprise me if Gajeel gave it to her."

There came a humored snort in his direction. At the moment, Gajeel and Wendy were looking after the baby.

"She's so calm and cute," Wendy spoke.

"Yeah, but she's a part of Fairy Tail, so that's not going to last forever, especially bein' my kid."

Athena cooed.

Then the whole house came to a pause as they heard something big hurtling through the air on great wings.

"So, she's already recovered enough to fly again," Natsu stated.

"We went at her pretty hard, but it wasn't like we went all out on her," Gajeel told him.

They gathered around the windows and watched as the dragon flew past. They had to admit that the winter dragon was an impressive sight... Not exactly pleasant, but impressive regardless.

"Hmm, she's still hurting though," Natsu remarked.

"How do you know?" Levy asked.

"You can tell how a dragon is feeling when they fly: angry or worried they hold themselves more rigid and fly with purpose, when they're happy they're looser and tend to do simple tricks, and when they're hurt or tired they carry their heads a bit droopy and you might see them move their legs as if they're trying to swim in the air," Natsu replied.

"Given the direction she's flying, it seems like she's heading for Mount Hakabe," Lucy stated.

"That seems fitting for her," Wendy replied.

When all things were settled, the guests took their leave.

Ω Ω Ω

On their way home, Gajeel walked with an arm over Levy's shoulders and could hardly keep his eyes off his little family while Lily flew alongside them.

"You're quiet, Gajeel."

"I'm just enjoying the moment, Levy."

"Hey, I know that you're in for a confusing and stressful time, and I want you to know that I want to help you out as much as I can. Whatever you want, whatever you need, just tell me," she replied.

"You've got me too, Gajeel," Lily put in.

"Alright, alright, I'll do my best to be open with you guys."

They reached their house and Gajeel insisted on putting Athena to bed on his own. He even sang a little lullaby for her while Lily got cozy in his bed. Not long after Athena was born, Lily's protective instincts kicked in and he insisted that he'd share the room with Athena. For Gajeel and Levy, he was a savior, because when Athena woke up during the night, Lily was there to see what she needed, and most of the time he could handle it on his own.

"Shoobedoba, shalala, goodnight little baby," Gajeel finished.

"That was a good one," Lily told him with a little yawn. Gajeel gave him a quick smile before heading to his room with Levy...

... He found her in a cute and thin nightgown.

He blushed a bit knowing that she was 'in the mood', and he began undressing. He joined her when he'd finished stripping down and began kissing her.

Gajeel was so much bigger than her and was so much stronger, but in this position he was so gentle and had a delicate touch... At least starting out. He had a tendency to kiss aggressively once he got heated up.

While 'things' were happening, Levy's fingers brushed the small patch of scales that had formed during the battle. They felt so hard and smooth, like river rocks, and she wondered what they might look like. She had a guess as to what the color would be, but what were they shaped like, and how shiny were they?

Levy reached her climax and Gajeel slowly withdrew from her.

"You felt them, didn't you?" he spoke.

"I did... May I see them?"

Gajeel sighed, turned, and flopped down on the bed while Levy took a good long look at them. They were dark steely grey - almost black - a cool color with just a slight hint of blue and a more scalloped shape. He felt Levy's fingers brush over them

"They're smooth and their color suits you," Levy spoke.

"You've seen them before."

"I've never touched them before."

Gajeel turned again, he took Levy in his arms, and fell asleep holding her while smelling her hair.

Ω Ω Ω

Lucy and Natsu had been sleeping in separate bedrooms when she moved in. Tonight she entered Natsu's room.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"I... I-uh don't think I want to be alone tonight."

She then entered his room, approached him, took his hands, and then looked into his eyes: "Can I spend the night with you?"

"Ah... Umm... Okay," Natsu replied with a slight blush. Even though they've since realized their feelings for each other and moved in, gestures of romanticism never really crossed Natsu's mind. So, it was usually Lucy who initiated anything. She pulled Natsu closer to her and wrapped her arms behind his neck, but it was he who kissed her on the lips first!

Things got a bit more fired up this night. One moment they were kissing, the next thing Lucy knew was that she was on Natsu's bed looking up to find Natsu staring over her. His gaze looked both intense and confused.

"Natsu?"

He brushed her hair from her face - it had gotten so long - and then lowered himself to kiss her on the neck and then return to her lips. Lucy got a thrill from his kisses because of his sharper canines and she could feel them.

The night continued to grow more passionate for them... Let's just say that neither Lucy nor Natsu were virgins by the end of it. Was it the burning passions, was it a desire to become closer to each other, was it because of new stresses or regrets, or was it a combination of everything? Either way, at the end of it all they ended up sleeping in the same bed cuddled up to each other.

However, in the depths of their sleep, Gajeel and Natsu's dreams held scales and rapid winds.

Ω Ω Ω

**Hopefully the content wasn't too adult for some of you. Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


	17. Chapter 17: Necropolis

**Chapter XVII**

**Necropolis**

Three days had passed and on this day the whole guild got a message in the form of a snowflake: _Time to fulfill a promise, be at the Guildhall tomorrow at 11:00._

There was no doubt that the message was from Zyma, though no one had seen or heard from her since the day of the battle. However, most had assumed that she was simply recovering in isolation. Whatever, she was a brat who could take care of herself.

Wendy had just finished reading her snowflake massage and held it firm in her hands while casting a glance at the scales over her ankle.

"Wendy, what's on your mind?" Carla asked her.

"That mean Zyma is coming back!"

"Well she's still a member of the guild, so of course she would come back eventually, but I can understand that you're still mad at her."

"She sent these snowflakes so we would all be at the guildhall when she's going to take us on that trip to the Necropolis... That was her promise for her victory," Wendy replied.

"You'll be able to see Grandeeney again if you go; and you should probably take some time to talk to Zyma and vent your anger out to her."

"I will," Wendy replied

Ω Ω Ω

The next day at 10:58, everyone was gathered at the guildhall. It was bizarrely quiet considering whom was present. Even stranger was that there wasn't any booze flowing, not even from Cana's flask.

Outside, the winds began to howl, the beating of dragon wings sounded over the guildhall, and everyone was at least a bit startled when the doors suddenly slammed open and a cold gust blew in.

Through the doors they saw Zyma dragon circle around and go 'POOF' into a flurry of snowflakes, blow into the guildhall, and then assemble into Zyma's form. She had returned to her human form and in her casual dress, and her power contained.

"After reaping the souls of the dying, and plenty of prayers to Ankhseram, I have secure passage for everyone here to visit the _Necropolis!_"

That last word was an incantation; and the guild was taken to an initially featureless world. It looked like they were standing within a cloud.

"Welcome to the Necropolis everyone. Here you will be able to meet anyone you wish who's passed on. However, be warned, for some of you have what I call 'fragments' here. These fragments represent a part of you that no longer remains within you in the world of the living. For example, I've seen fragments of Gray, Erza, and Gajeel. They're not hard to differentiate from the spirits though, the fragments look more translucent while the spirits will appear to be solid," Zyma told them. Then, with another breath she told them: "You should also be warned that there may be some spirits who'd want to meet you, please be courteous... Now that's all said, all you have to do now is start walking and this place will start taking shape."

Fairy Tail split into smaller groups, mostly in couples and best friends.

"Gray darling, what part of you is here?" Juvia asked. Both she and their exceed, Fleischer, looked at him expectantly.

Gray came to a stop and then looked around at the snow starting to fall around them.

"You're about to find out," he replied.

The world around them turned into a sad winter's eve.

"There's snow, but I don't feel cold," Fleischer stated. He was right, it wasn't cold at all, but the snow still crunched under their feet. They only paused when they saw a translucent figure of a young Gray, and Juvia - as it had turned out - could barely recognize him! His eyes just seemed so dark and filled with hate. He was practicing his magic, weak at the time.

"That was me after Deliora destroyed my home and family, and before Master Ur cast the Iced Shell," Gray explained... "I'm glad that he's no longer a part of me."

"You've grown so much, Gray."

Gray and Juvia turned and Gray was nearly put to tears. Now, standing before him was Ur, just as he remembered her. As the snow crunched through her approach, the winter around them turned happier, with fluffier snowflakes.

"Ur, you're here!" he exclaimed.

"Of course, I wanted to see my adorable student again," she replied. She held her arms open and they embraced for a moment before he broke away and told Ur: "Thank you for everything you did for me... I'm grateful that you were my teacher, this Ice-Make magic has saved me and my friends many times over."

"I'm glad I got _that _through to you."

"Yeah, but the whole stripping thing you had us do has really stuck with me!"

"Don't go blaming that on me! I managed to keep my clothes on!" Ur replied, getting playfully aggressive. She then looked over to Juvia: "Who's this lovely lady?"

"Ah, Juvia, this is my master, Ur. Ur, this is my guild mate and girlfriend Juvia. She's a water mage."

"Hmm, water and ice, very compatible," Ur remarked.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Ur," Juvia replied.

"Likewise, Ms. Juvia... So, Gray, I'm sure that you'd rather not I ask you this, but how is Lyon doing?"

"Lyon went astray for a while, I believe that you'd know about that... Still, he's in the Lamia Scale guild now and has become one of their strongest wizards," he replied. He then sighed and told her: "You should also know that I've met your daughter."

Ur's breath shuddered for a moment: "I knew she was alive when I couldn't find her in the afterlife. I then saw her memories... I really wish that when she found me training you two that she had shouted or something... She could've been your big sister and I would've been happy to the point of tears."

"I can tell you this though: She found a path of light to repent for her wrongs, helped to save Fiore from a dragon attack, and found peace with herself."

"Thank you, Gray, that's something that a mother would be glad to hear," Ur replied; she then looked to Juvia and then spoke: "Well, let's turn this to a lighter note... Gray, Juvia, how did the two of you meet?"

This brought a bit of blush to their faces as Juvia explained that for her it was love at first sight during battle. Juvia sang her praises about the beauty of Gray's magic, and went into details of other battles they've been through... Those other battles both amazed and horrified Ur. Still, they were glad to stick around and chat

Ω Ω Ω

The whole of team Shadow Gear accompanied Gajeel, and seeing Gajeel's fragment was an astonishing sight! There he was with the mark of Phantom Lord on his shoulder, eating iron and being a jerk to faceless guild mates of the Phantom Lord.

Gajeel's face slackened to amazement.

"Hey, Gajeel?" Jet spoke.

"That scumbag... he's gone from me! He's really gone!"

"Well, sure he is. Why does this surprise you?" Levy asked while holding Athena. Pantherlily was also with them.

"What _that guy_ did to you guys was my biggest regret. The weight's been with me a long time."

"_That guy_ is in the past for us, you've gone and saved our butts a few times since then," Droy replied.

"Come now, Gajeel, we don't need to dwell on past sins," Levy spoke, and she took his hand, and they began walking until they ended up in the old Era building.

"What is this place?" Lily asked.

"The old building for the Magic Council. There should be someone here that I want to meet," Gajeel replied. His eyes then lit up when he spotted this someone. It was Belno.

"Gajeel Redfox? You wanted to see me?" she asked with slight surprise.

"Belno... I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you when you needed someone the most. When Tartaros was attacking we tried to get to you but couldn't make it in time."

Belno's face grew gentler: "It wasn't your fault, so don't blame yourself... Is there something else you wanted to tell me?"

"That time... I also wanted to show you the man I've become. What you told me years ago, I've taken to heart. So, I joined the Fairy Tail guild, made some friends, and now I've got a family... Levy, come here will you?" Gajeel replied.

Belno looked astonished: "Levy McGarden? _You_ and Levy, Gajeel?"

They then showed Belno their baby. She wiped a tear from her eye and told Gajeel: "Well done. you've made a life worth meaning."

"Gihee hee, you may also like to know that our guild took a hiatus for a year, during which we joined the Magic Council Custody Enforcement Unit."

"OKAY NOW THAT'S TOO MUCH! YOU MUST BE PULLING MY LEG!"

Levy laughed and told her: "It's true, Ms. Belno. I was working with him during that time, and he actually enjoyed the job."

Belno composed herself: "You really are an interesting lot... Gajeel playing a part of the Magic Council, now that would've been a real sight to see."

"Anyway, Belno, I also want to thank you for looking out for me those years ago. I may not've appreciated it at the time, but I'm thankful for it now," Gajeel told her.

"I'm glad to hear it... Now, if you'd like, I'll gladly hear some more stories about what you've been up to," she replied.

Gajeel looked to his company and told them: "If there are others that you'd want to meet then you go ahead and see them, I'm gonna be a while."

Lily, Levy, Jet, and Droy gave him a nod and left him in peace. Gajeel then gave Belno the juicy details about defeating the Tartaros guild, joining the Magic Council, and defeating Zeref and Acnologia... Belno couldn't believe her ears.

Ω Ω Ω

Lucy was both overjoyed and sobbing ugly tears when she met up with her parents. She was in their arms and trying to blubber out everything she wanted to tell them.

"Shh, Lucy, take a breath, and then you can talk. We're not going anywhere," her mother told her.

She found her words and told them about what a strong wizard she had become - and that she now had ten zodiac keys, though had to lose Aquarius for a time. She told them that she was now an author and about her adventures... Then she chewed out her dad for not being clear about what he wanted her to do with the Infinity Clock hand, but then explained in clearer detail as to how she disappeared for seven years and thanked her dad for bailing her out by leaving her seven years' worth of rent money that really saved her skin.

"You're welcome, Lucy. We're glad to see that you're doing well... Now, who's this with you?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, Mom, Dad, this is Natsu. He's the one who got me into Fairy Tail, he's a fire dragon slayer wizard, and... well... my _boyfriend_."

"That's wonderful!" Layla exclaimed.

"He does seem a bit rough around the edges though," Jude replied.

"Natsu may not be perfect, but he's the greatest guy I know," Lucy told him.

"Don't you worry, so long as I'm around I'm not going to let anyone hurt her," Natsu told her parents.

"Well then, we'd welcome you to the family, Natsu," Layla told him.

Lucy had finished talking to her parents and was wiping tears from her eyes when they turned away.

"I've missed them so much," she admitted.

"Yeah, I get the feeling... You really do take after your mother though," Natsu spoke.

"Yeah, and then there's Anna... I suppose that's a little weird. Natsu, who do you think you took after?"

"Igneel, of course, he's the only parent I've ever known, and Fairy Tail is the only other family I've really known," he replied. They kept walking, and their surroundings turned into a meadow filled with flowers with a brook running through it, and it was lined with beautiful trees. However, reclined against a boulder near the brook was a young man in black robes and a great white sash that could be considered a toga.

"Zeref!" Happy exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"Natsu, did you really want to see him?" Lucy asked.

"I wasn't really thinking about him."

Zeref looked their way and got to his feet: "I was hoping that we'd be able to meet, Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"I couldn't help but to overhear some of what you and Anna's descendant were talking about... I'm sorry, what's your name Miss?"

"You stay away from me!" Lucy cried out. Zeref backed up half a step and raised his hands to appear less threatening: "I'm not going to hurt you, though I can understand why you're feeling the way you are. No apology or gesture could right the wrongs I've committed, but there are some things I wish to say and show to my little brother."

"Her name's Lucy. Now, what's this you want from me?" Natsu asked.

"It makes sense that you have no memory of the family you were born to, given what happened to you when you were so young. Though I know that Igneel is your father, I'd like you to meet our parents."

"I think I'd rather see Igneel," Natsu replied.

"You can, but right now he's a little busy venting his anger out on Zyma."

"Huh?"

"When Zyma built her ice arena, the eyes of her sculptures acted as windows so we spirits could watch the action. Igneel was furious that Zyma led to the destruction of your antibodies... I must admit that I'm not too pleased with her either, what I had done to you was bad enough."

"You mean turning him into E.N.D!" Happy exclaimed.

"That's it, though if I hadn't done that, then Natsu wouldn't be with you... Lucy, I'm thankful that you wrote the demon element out of his book, and that he's living a good life at your side," Zeref spoke. They started walking.

"Hold on, did Zyma cheat during that battle?" Natsu asked.

"No, she fought you fairly and kept to her rules. You fought until your magic destroyed your antibodies... Grandeeney and Metallicana are also enraged, and Weisslogia and Skiadrum fear that Sting and Rogue are going to meet the same fate.

"I wouldn't let that happen!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Zyma plays fair. If she ever picks a similar fight with them, it wouldn't surprise me if she let them pick one of you to team up with them."

"So, that's happening to Zyma now?" Natsu asked.

"They can't kill her, but they are venting their anger. Though there are some dragon that support Zyma's quest to bring dragons back to the world."

As they continued walking, Zeref's clothes changed to a simple white robe with a black sash across his body, and they came to a house that was built centuries ago.

"This was our family home, Natsu, back in the X380's," Zeref declared.

"Whoah, your clothes changed too!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Ah, yes... This was quite the fashion back four-hundred years ago, and representative of the man I was before I was known as Emperor Spriggan and The Black Wizard. Come now, Natsu and Lucy."

Zeref opened the door, and they stepped inside, where for the first time since his revival, Natsu saw his parents. They were clad in togas, looking rather out of place in Natsu's time, but there was no doubt about it that the man he was looking at was his father! He had the same pink hair and some similar facial features. Though his face was gentle, it was also clear that he could handle himself in a brawl at the very least. As for the toga-clad woman, Natsu thought that she kind of looked like a sober Cana but with darker hair; and given the size, shape, and color of her eyes, it was clear that Zeref took after her.

"Natsu, Zeref! You're just in time for lunch!" she announced.

"Here, young lady, come sit with us," Father Dragneel told Lucy as he pulled back a chair.

"Umm, thank you..." Lucy spoke and she took her seat.

Before Natsu could sit down, his mother snatched him by the vest and pulled him into a tight hug: "My little wily Natsu is all grown up now! You've really taken after your father!"

Natsu gave Father Dragneel a wordless glance. The man at the table looked at him proudly, but Natsu couldn't bring himself to think of him as his father.

Happy flew over to the pot over the stove: "This smells great, what is it?"

"YOU TALK, AND YOU CAN FLY!" Mama Dragneel exclaimed, even her husband got to his feet. He was looking to protect his wife from the strange cat creature.

"Of course he can talk and fly; that's Happy, he's my little buddy," Natsu told them.

"Natsu, they've never met a _friend_ like Happy. These creatures were never in our world when they were alive," Zeref explained.

"Oh, well, Happy is called an Exceed, he came from another world. I found him as an egg when I was a kid and hatched him... He also really likes fish," he spoke.

"Well, then he's sure to like the stew," Mama Dragneel replied. She began filling bowls and passing them around the table. Zeref took a seat between Natsu and his father, while Lucy took a seat between Natsu and Mama Dragneel. She was grateful for this because even though Zeref was trying to act pleasantly, he still gave her the serious creeps.

She looked to Mama Dragneel and told her: "I never would've thought that Zeref had taken after his mother's looks."

"He sure does, he also inherited my love for reading and learning. Natsu on the other hand is definitely his father's son."

Father Dragneel gave an impish grin and flexed an arm: "Well every soldier needs to let loose every once in a while, and a few rough games just do the trick."

Lucy had to agree... With that face, how could Natsu _not_ be related to him?

The stew tasted good enough, but it didn't fill their bellies, must be because this was the Necropolis. Natsu listened to stories about his supposed family history, but he really had no memory of his own towards any of the stuff they said. However, as Lucy and Natsu watched on, they noticed that Zeref's spirit didn't seem quite as solid as those of his parents. What was that about?

* * *

Once they were done, Zeref followed them out of the house and his clothes returned to the black robes with the great white sash.

"I can't believe that I just had lunch with one of the most evil - by reputation - wizard who's ever lived," Lucy stated.

Natsu and Happy looked to Zeref, who replied: "If I hadn't gotten myself cursed by Ankhseram I would've been remembered much more fondly, but I couldn't live with the loss of my little brother. I loved him so much that I was obsessed with defying death to bring him back."

"You had a funny way of showing it," Natsu told him.

"Creating E.N.D. was my greatest achievement and it brought you back to the world, it brought you to Igneel, and it brought you to Fairy Tail."

"You also played a part in creating Fairy Tail," a new voice came; the group turned...

"First Master Mavis!" Natsu declared. She walked by them and took Zeref's hand. They looked into each other's eyes with affection. Mavis was also an odd figure, like Zeref she looked rather solid, but not as solid as other spirits.

"Right, you told us your story between the two of you... So you're back together?" Lucy spoke.

Mavis nodded.

"After many years of darkness, she brought the light to my world," Zeref spoke.

Natsu gave a little smile. This scene was starting to play out like the Beta Heaven he experienced during the Century Quest.

"NATSU, WHAT'RE YOU DOING HANGING OUT WITH THAT GUY!?"

They turned and found Gray in the distance with Juvia trailing behind him.

"I wanted to speak with him!" Zeref called back. He paused and then added: "If you're here now, then that means that _you_ wanted to see _me_."

"Yeah, there's one little score I wanted to settle with you," Gray replied as he approached. Once he was close enough, he hauled off and decked Zeref right in the face!

It was enough force that knocked Zeref off his feet, but nobody showed any real concern for him.

"Yeah, I at least deserved that," he spoke as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

Gray took a deep breath and turned to Natsu: "Seriously, you're visiting this guy?"

"_I_ was the one who came to him. Nothing wrong with wanting to visit with my little brother," Zeref told him.

"Natsu, do you really consider this guy your brother?" Gray asked, looking agitated.

"I can't help my blood ties! As far as bonds are concerned, you and Gajeel fit that bill more than _him,_" Natsu replied, gesturing to Zeref at the end.

Zeref looked to Mavis and managed a funny pout: "How could a fire wizard say something so cold?"

Mavis tried to keep from giggling.

A moment later, they heard a commotion in the distance, then saw Zyma - in her human form - soaring across the sky and screaming all the way. She hit the ground and went 'PIFF' turning into a pile of snow before a wind stirred up the snow, and she materialized again though she was looking rather battered. She locked eyes with Natsu and flinched before telling him: "Uh, Natsu, your dad's ready to see you now."

"Whoa, did he do that to you?" he asked.

"He had help... Damn it, I can't stop shaking, my nerves are shot!"

"No doubt you've met the dragons' rage. How did you expect them to react?" Zeref asked her.

"ZEREF!"

"My brother is going to transform into a dragon thanks to you. I find myself quite displeased with you," he spoke.

"You weren't any better than her," Gray spoke up.

"You guys fight all you want, I'm gonna go see Igneel," Natsu told them, and he wandered off in the direction Zyma flew from. Zyma followed after him for a bit and told him: "Once we're back in Magnolia, there's something that I want to tell you, and it's not the greatest thing that you'd want to hear." She then left him alone.

* * *

Along the way, he met up with Gajeel and Wendy. They were alone, save for Happy and Carla now.

It was a wonderful sight to behold when they found their dragons waiting for them in a peaceful forest. They looked happy to see their children, but there was a slightly somber mood lingering around them.

"We're sorry that we couldn't protect you from _her_," Grandeeney spoke.

"You did what you could, it wasn't your fault" Wendy replied.

What then followed was a long and very detailed lecture on what they could expect to come. Some of those details caused Wendy to blush.

Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu then caught them up on what had been going on in their lives: The destruction of Acnologia, the Century Quest, and so on, including Gajeel becoming a father... Metallicana seemed to be impressed.

Ω Ω Ω

"FAIRY TAIL, IT'S TIME TO GO!" Zyma called out.

Gradually, her guild mates returned to her all of them seemed to have faces carrying some powerful emotions, but Erza was sobbing and clinging to Jellal whom was looking disheveled.

"Erza, what happened?" Gray asked her.

Erza could only let out another wail and so Jellal had to answer for her: "We met Simon... You'd remember him from the Tower of Heaven. As we spoke to him, Shô appeared... He's dead, and we didn't know it."

"Who's Shô?" Zyma asked. Jellal gave a description of a tan-skinned blonde man with dark green eyes and wore an earring, and a quick detail about his past.

"He said that he was killed by a dark guild," Jellal finished.

Zyma's eyes lit up, everyone knew that all dark guilds now were affiliated with Black Phoenix, but without another word she brought Fairy Tail back to the world of the living.

Jellal pulled Erza off to the side so she could finish crying and recollect her composure. Zyma picked a seat at the bar anddraped herself over it, wanting a glass of juice when Mirajane was up for serving again. The people were a little too quiet for her liking now, especially since now everyone could hear Erza crying.

"We got to see our parents again," Mirajane told Zyma.

"I'm glad."

"What would you say if I told you that I'd like to go back sometime?" Mirajane asked.

"I'd tell you that the trip would cost 80,000J."

"What does a dragon need with that kind of cash?" Lucy asked her.

"Not much, to be honest, but I can only go to the Necropolis a few times in a month, and for every round trip I plan on taking, I need to reap souls and carry them into the afterlife. I'm not too keen on seeing death. The money I ask for is to make people work for the trip, and then I'll put it to a good cause. Anyway, I hope that you spent the time of that trip wisely."

Mirajane served her some juice, she chugged it, and then headed outside, Natsu followed after her.

"So, what was this you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

"Your brother Zeref... Didn't you notice anything odd about him when you were with him?" Zyma replied.

"He looked a bit different from the other spirits. He didn't seem quite as solid, and neither did Mavis now that I think about it."

"That's exactly what I see in them too... Natsu, I don't know how you're going to feel about this, but I think that Mavis and Zerf aren't spirits, but very well-established fragments."

"You mean they're still alive?" Natsu asked.

"Their bodies are at least... I know a lot about them, and I think that when they broke Ankhseram's curse, they were reborn in a way. Their bodies still live, but their personalities as Zeref and Mavis died."

"Why are you concerned about this, Zyma?"

"Because, Natsu, a spirit can't pass through the Necropolis, but a _fragment_ can... Take Gajeel's fragment for instance - it's who he was back when he was in Phantom Lord - Perhaps if something were to happen to break his heart, then the Phantom Lord Gajeel could come back to life. I'm not saying that would happen, but so long as a person is alive, they have the chance for their fragments to cross back. So, if the right circumstances play out, whomever Zeref might be now he has the potential to become the Black Wizard once again."

"Oh man, and Zeref was a lot nicer in the Necropolis than he was when he was here."

"If Zeref does cross back into the world of the living, he will have all of his memories and all of his powers, which means that he has the potential to _not_ be the villain that he was. The same thing will go for Mavis," Zyma told him.

"So, what do you want to do about it?" Natsu asked.

"I will only ask this, if you happen to find anyone looking like Zeref or Mavis, would you please let me know where they are?"

"Why?"

"So others can check in on them, make sure that wherever it is they're living doesn't become a target to cruel intentions. Your brother had a lot of crazy fanatics, Natsu."

"If I find them, I'll tell someone, though I won't promise that it's going to be you. I'm still not looking forward to turning into a dragon."

"Well, when that happens, you can find me on Mount Hakabe, and I'll show you how to take human form," Zyma replied. Her dragon wings appeared on her back and she took flight.

Ω Ω Ω

**Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


	18. Chapter 18: Don't Touch Her

**Chapter XVIII**

**Don't Touch Her**

In the days to come, the - now-former - Dragon-slayers carried on like they normally would. However, now there was always a slight sense of dread whenever they had to take up jobs. Gajeel was still driven to provide for his family, Wendy still had to support herself, and Natsu mostly had to have the cash for food and and replacement clothes.

At least their friends stuck close to them for the most part, trying to show them that they were still friends whether they were dragons or humans. Things were still so normal that sometimes a thought crossed their minds: _Why not just get it over with and be done with dreading?_

When Zyma wasn't on Mount Hakabe, she was at the Guildhall, trying to maintain good graces with her mates. She liked to linger around the Request Board and offer to go with others on jobs, or to fly them to their clients. Sometimes people would take her up on the offer.

Ω Ω Ω

Well, it had been a couple weeks since the trip to the Necropolis, and after going on a few jobs already, some of the tension that Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel were dealing with just sort of eased up. However, they'd been developing more scales over their skin. Their days as humans were dwindling; but right now, they had work on the mind. Gajeel was still driven to provide for his family, Wendy needed to support herself, and Natsu needed more money for food and some extra clothes.

"Hey, this job is to take care of some dark wizards that are causing trouble in Hyacinth. The reward is for 375,000J," Levy told Gajeel.

"Gihee, a good job to make some arrests then," he replied.

"We're not working for the Magic Council anymore,' Levy murmured.

"Hey man, beating up some bad guys? That's a job with my name on it!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Beat ya to it, Salamander," Gajeel told him.

"Jet, Droy, are you coming with us?" Levy asked, and those two were immediately by her side.

"Maybe we should go on a more relaxed job, Natsu, look at your left hand," Lucy spoke.

Natsu looked at it, already there were scales on his hand, and his pinky and ring fingers were now tipped with short claws. Under the sleeve he covered his arm with, the scales had crept up his upper arm. Of course, Gajeel was in the same boat, getting more scales as well.

"Look here, Natsu, this one might bring back some memories! This flyer is asking for someone to infiltrate a ball to destroy something and to steal another item. It's paying pretty well at 130,000J!" Happy spoke.

"Hey, that sounds perfect!" Lucy declared, though she was also thinking that a job like that would require Natsu to use very little power.

"Yeah, that does sound pretty good! Alright then, let's go!" Natsu declared.

Cana approached the Request Board and gave it a good look before turning to Wendy: "Hey, there's a flyer here for finding a missing kid from Cedar Town. Want to team up with me on this one, Wendy? I'm sure a healer would be great for this one."

A cold draft swirled around the tavern, centered around Zyma.

"_Cedar Town!_ Helleborus wasn't that far from there!" she exclaimed.

"It sounds like a good pick, Cana. I'll go with you on that one," Wendy spoke.

"I'd like to come with you on this one," Zyma told them.

Wendy drew a serious face and told her: "I think that Cana, Carla, and I will be enough for this mission."

Zyma eased up and then told them: "Well, I know the way there and can get you there quicker than any train. Would you at least let me fly you there free of charge."

"I think we ought to take you up on that offer, not only to save some money, but because in kidnappings, time is of the essence," Cana replied, looking to Wendy. She looked back and nodded to Cana and then told Zyma: "We accept your offer for a ride."

"I'll be waiting outside for you then," she replied.

The dragons of Fairy Tail - and their comrades - presented their flyers to Mirajane, and then got ready to leave. Gajeel and Levy offered up a chunk of their earnings to Alzac and Bisca if they'd babysit Athena for them.

Ω Ω Ω

Team Shadow Gear met up with their client at Hyacinth. He was the mayor who'd heard of Fairy Tail's reputation for solving problems and their crazy power.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, the people of Hyacinth are practically too scared to leave their homes for fear of these devils," the mayor told them he poured them some tea and then asked: "Would you mind telling me who you are?"

"Of course, I'm Levy and I use Solid-Script magic, and my friends are Jet - a speed wizard, Droy who uses Plant Magic, Gajeel who's the Iron Dragon-Slayer, and Pantherlily a battle Exceed. Gajeel, Pantherlily, and I also spent some time working in a custody enforcement unit with the Magic Council"

"Wonderful, I've heard how terrifying a Dragon-Slayer's magic can be... The fear that this dark guild instills in my people ought to be returned. Capture as many as you can, or drive them off making them regret that they were ever born. I beg you!" the mayor pleaded.

"Gihee, you picked the right guild for the job, but we need some details about them," Gajeel stated.

"They call themselves Pixiu Wing. They have a habit of mugging and kidnapping the people. If the person they've kidnapped happens to be a wizard, they have their magical power drained as if by some sort of vampire-type magic. Their guild mark looks like the profile of a lion head with a wing behind it."

"We're on it, Sir," Jet replied.

"Thank you, and I've made reservations for you at the Mandrake Inn, near the outside of town. There are only two rooms, but the beds are nice and the food is good."

They shook hands with the mayor, dropped their stuff at the inn and then did some surveyor work in the forest surrounding the town. Jet made some pretty easy work of that. Droy managed to set up some alarm plants.

* * *

When night fell, Gajeel, Lily, and Jet did a late patrol after dinner that went on for nearly two hours.

"You find anything, Gajeel?" Jet asked.

"Nothing, I didn't hear or smell anything out of the ordinary, and I even tried to make myself a target."

"I'll go around the city one more time, and if I don't find anything I'm going back to the inn."

"Alright, and stay alert, I don't need any scumbags getting the jump on you," Gajeel replied.

"I'll circle from above," Lily stated and he flew up to the sky.

Gajeel climbed up to the roof of the Mandrake Inn and closed his eyes, keeping his ears perked to any strange sounds, and his nose raised to search the air for any new smells. There was nothing, not even when Jet returned. Gajeel jumped from the roof and told him: "I couldn't smell or hear anything out of the ordinary."

So they turned in for the night, Jet and Droy were roommates sleeping in separate beds, and Gajeel, Levy, and Lily were together. The room also had two beds, but they pushed them together to make a big bed, plenty of room for the three of them.

* * *

The next morning they started investigating in the forest. Gajeel had a hard time picking up scents at all.

"Something's wrong, I can only smell you guys," he spoke.

"You mean _just_ us?" Jet asked.

"Yeah, I can't even smell this forest. Someone's using magic to hide their presence. If there's a wizard who has scent magic we're going to be in a bit of trouble."

It crossed everyone's mind. If this wizard could produce a nasty stink that could nauseate Levy, Jet, Droy, and Pantherlily, then it would likely bring Gajeel down to his knees and out of commission.

"Lily, will you fly up and scout the area?" Levy asked. Lily gave her a nod and took to the skies. His eyes snapped over to a shining object obscured by tree branches. He also believed that he saw something moving over there, he quickly swooped down and reported to them.

They advanced further into the forest, and that was when everything went to hell!

With their scent camouflaged and the inability to have seen them beforehand, the dark guild Pixiu Wing ambushed them from above and more of them came up from the ground! Between a mix of magics using sheer winds and shifting earth, team Shadow Gear was separated.

Jet and Droy were at least together, but Lily, Levy, and Gajeel were all on their own.

Jet ran in circles delivering swift and powerful kicks to their opponents, and then Droy threw down his seeds: "Knuckle Plants! Thorn Whips!" These attacks knocked their foes off their feet and gave them the opening they needed to make a run for it. Though they had grown stronger as wizards, they were at least outnumbered ten-to-one.

Luckily, they found Lily in his battle form down in a valley, nearly overwhelmed by his Pixiu Wing group. They had an air mage that made it impossible for him to fly, and the stench mage that had camouflaged them earlier was throwing some powerful stinks his way, nearly sapping him of his will to fight.

"Chain Plant!" Droy cast, tying up some of Lily's assailants. They then helped Lily to knock out some of his guys; Jet moved fast so the wizards wouldn't have the time to cast spells, as Gajeel and Levy had the best forms of defense.

"Have you seen the others, Lily?" Droy asked.

"No, everything moved too fast for me to see what happened to Gajeel and Levy. Hopefully they weren't separated from each other."

With the added support and a few swings of his sword, they managed to knock out enough enemies to make another run for it.

They found Gajeel... _alone_.

He was relying more on his simpler spells and holding his own against his onslaught of enemies. He was covered in his iron armor, one arm was turned into a sword and the other a club, and he was practically doing a dance of combat.

"HEY GAJEEL!" Jet called out.

He looked up and saw that his friend was safe, but then Droy called out: "IS LEVY THERE WITH YOU?!"

Those five words made his blood run cold with the realization that Levy - his love, his light, and the mother of his child - was alone in battle among these scumbags!

There was no time now to hold back, he had to get to her! So he switched over to his Iron-Shadow Dragon Mode and roared, slithered through the shadows, and then clobbered everyone around him with his lance attack!

"Hurry! I can smell her!" he called out and he started running. Jet and Lily were immediately with him while Droy lagged behind... He had been trying to lose some weight but it was slow.

They halted at the top of hill to behold a horrific sight: Levy had already been overwhelmed; and they had arrived just in time to watch one wizard strike her with a spell that struck her face and spilled her blood; and that was when Gajeel went over the edge. He activated his Dragonforce, and then his body seized up. He stooped over with an arm across his crest, his heart rate suddenly spiked, and his breathing turned to panting through the accelerated heat beat and his pure rage. Jet, Droy, and Lily felt a sudden increase in magical power.

"Gajeel...?" Jet spoke.

"GET BACK!" Gajeel shouted, his eyes wide. Jet and Droy huddled together, as Gajeel was swallowed up by swirling shadows he threw his head back and let out a great war bellow that crescendoed into a low, earth-shaking, and incredibly loud and beastly roar!

Levy's attackers couldn't help but to halt and then look over to the sight of the terrifying commotion. What they saw was a great shape flying overhead and then landing in the center of their ring. They could hardly believe their eyes as a dragon stood before them with his body curled around Levy. He displayed his wings and let out another bellowing roar!

Pixiu Wing screamed, and those who couldn't run fast enough took a hard hit from a sweep of a dragon's tail! The dragon then finished driving them off with a breath attack that took out all the trees in its path.

Right after that last attack, Levy finally came to and her eyes widened when she saw the great dragon sheltering her and drawing long pants of breath.

"Gajeel?" she spoke. The dragon perked at her voice speaking his name, and then craned his head to look at her, the shadows surrounding him faded away to reveal the dragon's relaxed form. His metallic scales were a dark steely grey, his underbelly was black, and he had a wild mane of black hair. Overall, Gajeel Dragon looked more organic than Metallicana - whom looked almost like a machine. His wings were bat-like with steely-grey fingers and black membrane, his head was shaped more like a traditional dragon but maintained his piercings.

"Gajeel," Levy spoke again. The dragon lowered his head some more and he felt as Levy embraced his face, and he watched as she looked into his eyes.

"Your eyes haven't changed."

She was right, though the whites had turned dark, he maintained his red irises and pupil shape. He gently pulled his head away from her embrace and tried working his mouth.

"Levy," he managed. Though his voice had a draconic rumble, they could still recognize it.

Levy's face lit up and she brought her hands to her chest: "You're my Gajeel, and I don't plan on leaving you!"

"Hold up, we still need to round up as many of these dark guild wizards as possible!" Lily called out. Jet and Droy took off with him while Levy turned to Gajeel Dragon and asked him: "How would a dragon make arrests?"

A light sparked in Gajeel's eyes and he replied: "Climb on my back and we'll find out... Hold on tight now."

Levy climbed up him and held fast to tufts of his mane and Gajeel Dragon spread his wings and gave them a hard stroke, they went 'SHING' like Erza's slashing blades. He flew over his friends' heads and circled over where all Pixiu Wing members were located. His iron clubs erupted from the ground, urging the Pixiu guild members to regroup. Levy also sent her spells their way, and they herded the dark guild closer to their friends: Lily and Jet fought them into submission, and Droy bound them together with his Chain Plant.

"Alright, Team Shadow Gear is the best!" Levy cheered. Gajeel swooped down and landed. It was a bit rough, but a good job for his first time. Levy jumped from his back to join the others and celebrate a little bit with them. She then turned to Gajeel and told him: "We need to turn these guys in to the client, Gajeel, and get paid. I'd like for you to get some rest and I'll come back to you. Will that be alright?"

"Go ahead then... I'd likely scare the whole town away like this," his voice rumbled.

"I'll stay with you then," Lily told him.

As Levy, Jet, and Droy headed back to Hyacinth, Gajeel Dragon hunkered down and Lily sat close to him.

"That was quite the job," Lily spoke.

"More than we expected," Gajeel replied. He dragged his claws through the dirt and grumbled: "Zyma - that brat - better stay true to her word."

"About teaching you how to turn human again?"

"Yeah, I need to hold Athena in my arms and sing my songs to Levy... No way I can carry a tune with this dragon's growl!"

"Those are your only concerns?"

"I can't see my future without them," Gajeel replied.

* * *

Levy ran back a short while later and told him: "We got paid, the client was impressed, and I told him that the reason you didn't show up was because you were recovering from a tough fight, he sends you his gratitude and the gratitude of all Hyacinth."

"Think that Athena could go for a new outfit?" Gajeel asked.

"With this money, we'll get her something really special... but, Gajeel, we should discuss _your _situation."

"What's there to talk about, Levy?"

"Well, first off, I want to thank you for that save earlier. I was afraid that it was going to be the end for me... If only I were stronger."

"No, don't you dare talk like that! That wasn't your fault! If I was certain that you were alone and fending off those scumbags yourself, I would've gotten to you sooner, but now they're captured, and arrested."

"Gajeel, I feel like your transformation was partially my fault," Levy stated.

Gajeel shook his head: "Don't blame yourself. It's worth everything to make sure that you're going to come home safely, back to our little girl." He gently reached an arm towards her and she took one of his talon-tipped fingers in her hands: "We'll get through this together, Gajeel, I'll come with you when you're ready to go to Mount Hakabe."

"Athena will need you and that brat Zyma said that she can't teach it to me until a few days have passed."

"I'll make arrangements, Gajeel. When you can take human form again, we'll go on a little family trip. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," he replied.

Ω Ω Ω

**Some drama and some fluff for you. Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


	19. Chapter 19: A Dance in Crimson

**Chapter XIX**

**A Dance in Crimson**

Lucy picked this job thinking that it not only paid well, but that it wouldn't demand that much magic from Natsu. The job description brought back memories of her first real job as a wizard crossed with the Velveno case at Count Balsomico's estate: infiltrate a gala to steal one item and destroy another.

Lucy had fun preparing for this job. She got to go shopping the a dress and picked out a lovely red one and found a nice grey suit for Natsu with a tie that matched the red of her dress. She also helped him to refine his dancing before they left to meet their client. Even then, Lucy decided to rent a more elaborate coach to visit the client.

During the ride, Natsu looked at his scaly hand. It wasn't completely covered in scales, but they were noticeable. He was also wearing the bracelet with the motion sickness lacrima in it to keep from getting sick during the ride.

"Hey, Natsu, I also got you a pair of gloves. I don't think they're style, but I think that it would be wise to wear them when we meet the client and go to the gala," Lucy spoke, and she presented the gloves, they were just a simple white pair made with soft fabric.

"You're right, they're not my style at all."

"I know, but I'm worried that your scales might blow our cover. We must be stealthy like ninjas," Lucy told him.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy declared.

Natsu gave a smirk and accepted the gloves from her, but he didn't put them on until they actually arrived at the client's house.

* * *

Their client was an intellectual woman whom was both a wizard who worked to create inventions to develop new forms of holder-type magics and an accomplished writer. She and Lucy clicked instantly... Her name was Ophelia Warden.

"Thank you for accepting my job request, Ms. Heartfilia," she spoke while adjusting her cat-eye glasses. She also had turquoise hair and sharp orchid eyes.

"It's our pleasure, Ms. Warden. We're eager to get this job done for you," Lucy replied.

"So here are the details: The gala you'll be infiltrating is hosted by Lady Zedong, she and I were schoolmates and acquaintances. Unfortunately, I've heard word and was presented with evidence that she is now in association with dark wizards. Out of friendship, I'd given her a notebook of recent studies I've worked on. The information in that book - when applied under use of the right people - will provide great benefits to Fiore, but in the wrong hands it could prove to be disastrous to us. That's what I need you to retrieve for me. The notebook should be easily identified, it is hardbound with a plum-colored cover with a golden rose embossed on it."

"Plum-colored notebook with a gold rose, got it! As for the item that you need destroyed?" Lucy spoke.

"It will be her Astral Globe. It is a prototype she designed, with the type of magic she uses, she can use the globe to cast spells on anyone that could be anywhere in the world and she can also track anyone. Even if she's working with these dark wizards against her will, we can't let her keep that globe and have her use it under the orders of a dark wizard. Personally, I also believe that this Astral Globe shouldn't have existed in the first place. By the way, if you happen to find any blueprints of the Astral Globe, I'd like for you to destroy them as well."

"No need to worry, we wizards of Fairy Tail know how to destroy stuff," Natsu told Ophelia.

"I feel like that's something you shouldn't be bragging about, but if you do the job well, I'll boost your pay and perhaps we can share some stories together."

"Wow, you're awesome Ms. Warden!" Lucy declared.

"Aye, Sir!"

"Thank you... Now, I've managed to obtain a copy of Lady Zedong's gala invitation and constructed this false one for you, and since I've been to the estate before, I've drawn a layout of the house for you and marked out where you should be able to find those items."

Ω Ω Ω

Thanks to the invitation, Lucy, Happy, and Natsu got into the estate without a problem. The ballroom was beautiful, the music playing was lively, and the food was delicious.

"Natsu, Happy, I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I really need you to try and show some restraint around the buffet, please, and I promise to cook you guys a big meal when we're done," Lucy whispered to them.

"Aye, alright Lucy, but remember that you promised!" Happy replied.

"Great, now, perhaps you can try scouting the estate and see if there's any security around the rooms we need to sneak into. Meanwhile, Natsu, I think it would be best if we had a few dances together."

Natsu gave her a nod and they took each other's hands and danced. Lucy kept it simple for Natsu, but it proved to be enough of a charade to suggest that they were merely guests at the gala to have a great time.

"Natsu, let me know if anything sounds or smells off to you, and we can both keep our eyes peeled for anything that looks out of the ordinary."

"You're getting a little bossy on this job, you know that?"

"Shh! We're in stealth, remember? Will you please give me a few compliments so these people think that we're dating or something?" Lucy whispered. Natsu's face turned to puzzlement for a moment until he came up with: "The red dress looks nice on you, it makes for a nice break from all the blue you normally wear."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd do something like pay attention to what others wear."

"Yeah, normally my focus is on how much clothing people are wearing. Gray's streaking over the years really fine-tuned that... That dress also covers you more than what you usually wear," Natsu replied.

"No! Don't say something like _that_, people are going to notice us!" Lucy exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"Hmm... I read your book. I may not read much, but I really liked it!"

Now that brought warmth to Lucy's heart. She never saw Natsu with her book... She hardly ever saw him with a novel at all. To hear that from him just felt amazing.

* * *

They danced for a few songs before Lucy allotted some time for them to eat.

While standing with a small plate in his hands, Natsu caught sight of a young man and girl together. The man was about Natsu's height with dark hair and eyes while wearing a dark suit, and the girl with him had long and very wavy blonde hair with innocent green eyes and was wearing a dress of pink and black and she was rather tiny.

The thing was that they were the spitting images of Zeref Dragneel and Mavis Vermillion!

"Lucy, look!" Natsu spoke in a hushed voice. Lucy turned and saw them, they did look happy together as they laughed and danced.

"I saw them at the party when my book was released," she replied.

Natsu pulled her and Happy close and whispered: "After we went to the Necropolis, Zyma said some stuff that said that Zeref and Mavis are still alive but they don't remember who they used to be. She also wanted me to tell her if I ever spotted people who looked like them."

"You don't have to tell her anything you don't want to, Natsu... Do you even want to have anything to do with them as they are?"

"They're the reason Fairy Tail exists. Maybe we should at least introduce ourselves," he told Lucy.

"We really should get on with the job," she replied.

Regardless, Natsu took her arm and walked up to them: "Hey, it's a great party isn't it?"

"Hello, do we know each other?" the one looking like Mavis asked.

Natsu gave them a strange look and Lucy replied: "Well, you may've heard of us... I'm Lucy Heartfilia and my friend is Natsu."

"_Lucy Heartfilia?_ I've read your book and was inspired by it!" the one looking like Zeref replied.

"Alios, let's not get carried away now, I know how you are when it comes to books," the one looking like Mavis told him.

"Right, thank you, Mio... Well, those are our names. I'm an aspiring writer myself, Ms. Lucy, and I hope that I'll be able to read something new by you soon," Alios spoke.

"Well, I got a lot of my inspiration from my adventures in the Fairy Tail Guild."

"I've been reading about them in Sorcerer Weekly, it sounds like you guys know how to have fun and to cause trouble," Mio spoke.

"Maybe that's where I might've heard about you; your face seems familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place where I might've seen it before," Alios spoke.

Natsu shrugged: "Maybe."

Mio stepped forward: "Natsu, Lucy, would you care to sit with us for a while?"

Natsu and Lucy exchanged looks, and then Happy returned from scouting the party: "Lady Zedong should be coming out soon."

Mio looked at Happy with big goo-goo eyes: "Aww, look at that, Hun, isn't he the cutest little thing?"

_HUN?!_ Natsu, Lucy, and Happy thought.

Alios let out a light chuckle: "He sure is."

However, it also clicked for Alios and Mio that Happy seemed familiar as well. As for Happy himself, well, those faces would be near-impossible for him to forget. He didn't say anything about them looking like Zeref and Mavis, but he did say: "So, you two are dating?"

"_Engaged_ actually," Mio replied, casting a look to Alios, he smiled down at her.

"We met at Lucy's book party and hit it off so well that I forgot what I went there for in the first place," he spoke.

"Well, if you're ever in Magnolia, look for Fairy Tail and ask for us," Natsu told them.

"We'll think about it," Mio replied.

Lady Zedong had now entered the room and Natsu, Lucy, and Happy still had a job to do. While Lady Zedong was busy distracting the guests, and the other guests were busy distracting her, they were given the opportunity to slip away.

* * *

After discussing the layout of Lady Zedong's estate with Ophelia Warden, they had a pretty good sense of where they needed to go. So, it didn't take long for them to find the room with the Astral Globe in it... However...

"Whoa, that thing is huge!" Natsu exclaimed; and indeed it was. The globe practically took up the whole room... Though with all due respect, the room looked like it had been built specifically to house the Astral Globe. The center of the floor had a concave contour that swallowed about half of the globe, and then the floor leveled out about two-and-a-half meters from the walls, and rails encircled the globe. The globe hovered just a few feet off the floor, and along one spot against the rails was a desk with controllers for the globe. Along the walls there were cabinets and bookshelves holding what must be some interesting secrets.

"Alright you guys, we have to destroy that globe, but Ms. Warden asked us to find her any schematics for this thing. We should search here for those plans and maybe see if we can find anything to suggest which dark wizards Lady Zedong might be corresponding too," Lucy told them.

"Aye, sir! We'll get right to it!" Happy announced.

"Quiet, Happy, this is a job meant for a ninja mind you!" Lucy snapped in a hushed voice. She marched over to the desk and started rummaging, Happy looked through the wastebasket, and Natsu searched the shelves.

"Natsu, you may want to leaf through those books to make sure there's nothing tucked in them," Lucy told him.

"Why would anyone hide anything in a book?" he asked.

"Because people wouldn't take the time to search all of them. They're not an obvious hiding spot for a document."

So not only was Natsu checking titles, he flipped through them and spread them out looking for anything stuck in the pages. He was surprised to find a few books had a few loose leaves of notes tucked in them... all made from the same paper. He took a good look at them and wasn't quite sure what to make of everything, but it didn't look good. He decided to let Lucy take a look at them.

Lucy did find the schematics to the Astral Globe, and after digging in the trash, Happy found a few letters from a wizard named Serenade.

"Wait, wasn't that the name of that chick that we met with not far away from the Magic Library?" Natsu asked.

"I think so... Happy, I can take that letter from you, and I've found the plans to the Astral Globe. Now, it's time to destroy that globe!"

Natsu clapped a fist into his hand: "I'm all fired up now!"

"Wait, Natsu, I think that Taurus can handle this part of the job for us," Lucy told him.

"Well, what am I here for then?"

"Natsu, ask yourself this: is destroying the globe worth the risk of turning into a dragon right now? If it is, then knock yourself out, but if you want to stay human a bit longer, then let's leave this to Taurus."

Natsu pouted but saw her point. Lucy summoned Taurus and he made quick work of the globe. With two swings of his axe, the thing was reduced to a few shards and dust!

"Okay, now to steal Ms. Warden's notebook!" Lucy announced.

This was where the plan fell apart... Sure, destroying the Astral Globe was easy enough, there weren't any guards, but as they reached Lady Zedong's workshop, they found that to be heavily guarded. There were wizards from the Black Phoenix guild.

The plum notebook wasn't hard to find, but Natsu had to fight Black Phoenix to clear the way for Lucy and Happy to grab it! Unfortunately, the wizards Natsu was facing weren't just some lackeys, these guys were actually competent!

While Lucy and Happy had their backs turned, they found and collected the notebook, but they heard Natsu shouting and then screaming. A flash of fire and some strange crashing noises later, and then Lucy and Happy quickly found themselves crashing their way out of the cellars and found themselves being carried off into the night skies! This was all too sudden and too much for Lucy, she let out a scream and then passed out!

A good chunk of Lady Zedong's estate was obliterated that night. At least none of her guests were hurt that night. As a matter of fact, all they felt was a questionable shaking of the room and heard something that sounded a little like an explosion. Well, the ballroom was still in one piece, so they tried not to worry about it.

Ω Ω Ω

At the trilling of birdsong and the glow of the rising dawn, Lucy's eyes fluttered open. She found Happy and Plue shaking her awake while she was laying near a river.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked.

"Ask Natsu," Happy replied, he pointed to a red dragon with black lines that looked like lightning that were bordered on one side with gold. He was staring into the water with a pout on his face.

"_NATSU!?_" Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu Dragon looked very much like Igneel, save for the lightning marks. He turned his head to Lucy, his face was nowhere near the blank and savage expression of Acnologia.

Pushing away her shock, Lucy spoke: "Ah, good morning, Natsu."

"Yeah, mornin'," he replied, his voice was distorted with a dragon's rumble but it was clear that it was Natsu's voice

"Well, we finished the job. We should get back to Ms. Warden's place so we can get paid."

"Her house is just east of here," Natsu told her and he pointed the way for her. Lucy had a feeling that he wouldn't some with her to the town, and perhaps that was for the best. Not everyone would maintain composure at the sight of a fire dragon. So, Lucy put a hand against his arm and told him: "Okay, Happy and I are going to see the client. Once we've finished business, we'll come back to you and fly home. Remember, you'll get your human face back eventually."

Natsu's face lightened a bit from his pout.

"Also," Lucy added: "If Ms. Warden asks why you're not with me, I'm just going to tell her the truth."

Natsu didn't answer while Happy flew Lucy back to Ms. Warden's house.

Ω Ω Ω

"Good morning, Ms. Warden! We've finished the job for you!" Lucy announced, and she presented the notebook and papers to her, she also passed over a .

"Splendid! Come in, I'll get your money and you can tell me all about it! Where's your colleague?"

Lucy sat down and once Ms. Warden came back with the check, she explained what happened: how they did the job, that they found proof of correspondence between Lady Zedong and dark wizards, having to fight some to get the notebook, and then Natsu's transformation while explaining how Dragon-Slayer magic works.

"Fascinating, may I see Natsu?"

"I suppose it would be alright, but he might be an intimidating sight. Dragons are pretty big and Natsu isn't too happy about his situation."

Well, Ms. Warden was curious, and they had to get back to Natsu anyway, so she just followed them.

At least Natsu hadn't moved far from his position earlier. On the riverbank there were a few fish he'd managed to catch, some real whoppers too!

"FISHIES!" Happy cheered. Natsu actually managed a smile, even with the face of a dragon he managed the same impish charm as his human smile. He then looked down at Ms. Warden.

"She wanted to see you," Lucy explained."

"I must say, Natsu, you are quite the inspiring sight!" Ms. Warden told him.

"Inspiring, huh?" Natsu rumbled.

"Yes, can you tell me how your magic works? I'm wondering if I can convert something like it into holder-type tools."

Natsu gave it to her plain and simple while Lucy climbed onto his back. Once he was done talking, he spread his wings and took flight back to Magnolia.

Ω Ω Ω

**Well this was fun to write! Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


	20. Chapter 20: Ridden on the Wind

**Chapter XX**

**Ridden on the Wind**

It was a rough ride for Wendy to go see the client. She had her amiable companions, Carla and Cana, and she was wearing her bracelet to quell her motion sickness, but the job description triggered her empathy.

Their mission was to find the kidnapped child, his name is Haruki.

When they met their clients, they were so devastated. The kidnapping happened two days ago while they were on a camping trip in the forest.

"I'm sorry to ask you this, but how are you sure that this was a kidnapping? It's just as easy to assume that he wandered off and got lost, or worse," Cana spoke.

"We saw it happen with our very eyes! The kidnapper was a large and very muscular man, and just picked up Haruki while he was trotting on ahead of us! We tried chasing after them, but the kidnapper shouted something into the trees, and down came this strange bird, we've never seen anything like it before!" the father exclaimed.

"Yes, it was like a large vulture - impossibly large, mind you - and the feet were wrong, it had the feet of an eagle. This bird attacked us and nearly tore us to bits while the kidnapper ran off with Haruki," the mother finished. Both parents showed them their scars from the attack as proof. Clearly they used their arms to defend themselves, and they showed the scars on their backs from when this freak bird attacked them from behind.

"We'll do everything we can to bring Haruki back to you! I'm one of Fairy Tail's Dragon-Slayers, and I'm also a healer. Dragon-Slayers have great noses, so if you'd show me to Haruki's room, I can pick up his scent."

The mother showed her to Haruki's room and she took a sniff around, committing the boy's scent to memory. The parents detailed their campsite to them and they took off.

Ω Ω Ω

Wendy picked up the scent rather quickly and followed the trail into some rather dangerous terrain, the forest had cliffs and gullies, plants grew so densely that it became so darkand as they ventured further, that was when the monster encounters started happening.

These monsters were unnatural, looking very much like hybrids of beasts and they also had at least one feature that looked uncomfortably human.

"Damn, where are these things coming from?" Cana cursed. She looked to a whimpering Wendy: "Hey what's going on with you?" she asked.

"The-They smell human," she said through tears.

"Child, are they using some form of Take-Over magic?" Carla asked.

Wendy shook her head vigorously: "No, I don't sense that they're using magic! I think that they were humans turned into monsters! Oh that poor Haruki, he's probably going to be changed too!"

Wendy was crying now; so, Carla placed a hand on her shoulder - she was in her human form now.

"There's no time for tears right now. We have a job to do," she spoke.

"Come on, Wendy, let your nose lead the way," Cana stated.

Wendy gave a nod and got back up on her feet, and they continued through the forest. At least the boy's scent was growing stronger, and with each step, Wendy's determination was growing stronger...

... Until another monster attacked!

This monster was particularly nasty. It looked like a wolf crossed with a dragon, its wings doubled up as forelegs, it had a long neck, a mouth full of large fangs, eyes that were far too human, and the thing was huge!

Cana tried a lightning spell, but that just seemed to give it slight static shock. She tried a sleeping spell, and while the beast yawned that was all it did! Carla went at it with flying kicks, and tried to claw its face, but it didn't look like she was doing much of anything!

Eventually, the beast smacked Cana with a massive paw and she was sent flying into a tree. She hit the trunk hard and then hit the ground in a heap! It then turned to Carla, and those fearsome jaws caught one of her legs!

Wendy couldn't take seeing her friends getting hurt, and went at the beast with her full power and fury!

"SKY DRAGON CRUSHING FANG! SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!" she cast, and Carla was freed. While the monster was reeling, she quickly healed Carla, but the monster returned. Since she was the only one who could stand now, she had to fight using her magic and using some fierce attacks.

Cana looked up in time to see it happen. The monster gave Wendy a good smack too, but she was able to cushion her landing with a roar. When she landed, Cana felt the output of Wendy's magical power increase, and at her next pounce she transformed!

Wendy delivered a wing attack over the monster that was so fierce that it uprooted the surrounding trees! The monster was also blown away, and could be heard whimpering and cowering like a scared dog in the distance.

Wendy Dragon looked very much like her mother during the fight against Tartaros, but she had a longer and more defined muzzle, and she also had a secondary pair of wings that sprouted from the small of her back.

She saw Cana's wide eyes and then realized what happened. Wendy then let out a scream - a roar for a dragon.

Cana got to her feet: "Please don't panic, Wendy!" she pleaded, and then she calmed her voice and called to her: "Wendy, Carla's hurt, she needs your help!"

In an instant, Wendy Dragon's face shifted from panic to worry for a friend, she looked in the direction Cana pointed and saw a worried Carla on the ground, trying to staunch the bleeding from her leg with her hands. Wendy acted quickly and healed her wound.

"There, is that better, Carla?" she asked, her voice distorted through a dragon's rumble, but still her own. Carla looked into her eyes and still saw the innocence and kindness of her good friend. As tears started flowing down her face, Carla flew up and embraced Wendy's neck: "You're still you!"

"Cana, are you alright?" Wendy asked.

Cana got back to her feet: "I feel a little banged up, but I'm alright! I never that that I'd get to be a witness for this though! As far as dragons go, you're the prettiest I've seen."

Wendy shifted a bit and Carla broke the silence that came: "We should get back to our mission."

"Right, Cana, you can hop up on my back, and I'll continue tracking."

Carla assisted Cana by flying her onto Wendy's back, and they continued on.

Ω Ω Ω

Haruki's scent led them to a Salamander Ember camp, where they found a disgusting sight. Salamander Ember was keeping prisoners in cages, only to pull them out to perform their grotesque experiments on them. Some prisoners already bore bestial features, while some were being actively transformed into monsters.

Wendy honed in on Haruki and her eyes fell on a boy with black fox-like ears and tail.

"I see Haruki, he's alright, but he's been experimented on," Wendy whispered - to manage such a delicate speech was a bit of a challenge. She then described him.

"Okay, I've got a plan. Wendy, I want you to fly overhead to get their attention. I need you to occupy them or get them to run off while Carla and I go in there and free the prisoners and take Haruki to bring him home. Does that sound good?" Cana asked.

"You're really asking Wendy to be a distraction?" Carla asked.

"A dragon is going to demand a lot more attention than I ever could with my magic. She could easily destroy their lab equipment too while being mostly impervious to magic attacks," Cana replied.

"I'll do it," Wendy told them. She raised her wings, and after a few experimental strokes, she managed to take off!

Well, Wendy certainly made for the best distraction ever! The camp froze just to look at her, but the stillness only lasted until she landed. That was when everybody panicked. Salamander Ember's mages tried to attack with magic, but it was like her body just repelled it! She turned to them and - without a power - she roared and blew everybody in its trajectory skyward. When those mages were gone, she set about destroying their equipment.

Even though they were terrified, Salamander Ember tried to save as much as they could during the dragon attack, but it wasn't much,

Cana and Carla ran in and set the prisoners free as quickly as they could, once they were free they ran off - scattered - into the forest. When they got to Haruki's cage, Cana looked at the boy matching Haruki's description and spoke: "Haruki, we're wizards from Fairy Tail, your parents sent us after you. Don't be scared, the dragon is on our side and we're going to take you home."

She opened the cage, the other prisoners ran off, but Haruki stayed with Cana.

Within minutes, the camp was void of prisoners, Salamander Ember members, and the equipment was either gone or destroyed.

Wendy then turned and put on her friendliest face: "Hello Haruki, we're glad to see that you're alright. Are you ready to go home?"

Haruki nodded, his ears bobbing a bit and his tail waved but he trembled a bit while Wendy lowered herself to allow her friends on her back. Though, the boy was a bit shy about getting on.

"There's nothing for you to fear, boy, she's a friendly dragon who wants to take you back to your parents. Her name is Wendy," Carla spoke.

Haruki climbed on with caution and settled onto a spot where he could hold on and was then followed on by Cana and Carla. Wendy got up and flew out of that forest.

Ω Ω Ω

Haruki's parents were horrified to find out why their little boy came back to them with fox ears and tail. Cana elaborated on their adventure, which also explained why there was a dragon in their yard rather than the small blue-haired girl they met earlier.

After hearing everything, Haruki's parents paid up and even added a little bonus, but then the mother turned and asked: "Oh, Haruki, what are we going to do about those ears and tail?"

Carla - in her human form - replied: "There might be a way to restore his former appearance, but we've met other wizards with cat ears and tails before. If he can learn magic, then he wouldn't look out of place at a guild."

Haruki's father looked up and spoke: "Thank you for bringing him back to us."

After some goodbyes, Cana and Carla climbed back on Wendy and they flew back to Magnolia.

"I gotta say, Wendy, you're already flying quite well," Carla spoke.

"Yeah, and it feels great!" Cana declared.

"Perhaps this isn't so bad after all," Wendy replied.

Ω Ω Ω

**This chapter was a bit of a problem, I kept losing progress thanks to some technical difficulties. Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


	21. Chapter 21: Visitors on Mount Hakabe

**Chapter XXI**

**Visitors on Mount Hakabe**

The air was cold, but the skies were clear over Mount Hakabe, with gentle winds blowing about the peak and through the mane of the Winter Dragon, Zyma. She looked to the horizon and spoke to herself: "It won't be long now, those frozen antibodies have been destroyed. They'll be coming, and a wondrous age of dragons will dawn. That sun will rise on this mountain!"

"Eh, they won't be _living_ here, would they?" a balkan asked.

Ever since Zyma claimed Mount Hakabe her home the balkans have quickly learned not to mess with her, but that she won't bother them if they don't bother her, leading to a relatively respectful and distant coexistence.

"No, monkey, this won't be the climate for them to live here; but it would be wise on your part to make yourselves scarce."

Ω Ω Ω

Zyma smiled when she heard the first dragon approaching. She looked its way and could tell by the colors that it was Gajeel. She watched calmly as he flew her way, and noted that he was flying rather well.

Gajeel swooped in, touched down, and looked to Zyma with a glare.

"Welcome, Gajeel," Zyma spoke, it was a very polite tone with an honest smile, she then heard something fall to the ground and looked down to see that it was Levy dismounting: "Levy, I'm happy to see you too."

"I wasn't going to leave Gajeel alone," she replied.

"Of course, especially not that he really needs you. Now, I've got some meat in the cave if you're hungry, along with some giant strawberries. When I established some form of peace with the balkans, they were happy to help me harvest them," Zyma replied, and she then showed them into her cave. Inside, they found meat and fish hanging from skewers of ice on the walls and a large basket of ice with strawberries. Looking about, they also saw that Zyma had decorated her cave with her beautiful ice sculptures.

"In the tunnel on your right, Levy, I've prepared some human accommodations. There's no ice, there's beds, and wood for fire," she spoke.

"Hmph, you're really playing nice _now,_ kid," Gajeel growled.

"I've never wanted to hurt you, but even I came to recognize that my actions were a bit more on the villainous side... but, now that I've committed my evil I now want you to learn how to cope with it. The only way for me to make my wrong not so wrong is to help you take human form again. Truly I hope that we can meet some friendly terms again."

Gajeel tilted his head and sneered before brushing past her. His folded black wings were like a sweeping cloak trailing behind him, his dark and wild mane gave him a rather feral appearance, but his eyes still held intelligence as he examined the cave and then watched as Levy explored the human accommodations. There were two decent beds, a brazier, plenty of blankets, and a table. Not a bad setup.

* * *

Perhaps half an hour had passed since Gajeel's arrival, that was when they heard the approach of another dragon. Zyma perked up and spoke: " I'm willing to bet that's Natsu, and he's probably going to want a fight."

She left the cave, and sure enough there was a red dragon approaching and he wasn't looking too happy.

"I smell Lucy," Gajeel spoke as he stuck his head out of the cave.

"Great, she and Levy can have some girl time while you're here," Zyma replied. She flew up and called out: "Over here, Natsu!"

Natsu growled, charged with Lucy screaming, and then rammed into Zyma with his head following it up with a punch before she broke off and slapped his face with her tail: "ENOUGH, NATSU!"

They landed, Lucy caught her breath, and Zyma rubbed her ribs: "Natsu, you look just like your dad... Ugh... There's food inside if you're hungry, also Gajeel and Levy are already here.

Lucy dismounted, looking almost as sick as Natsu normally does on a train and she walked into the cave. Happy followed after her.

"Remember this, Natsu: in the Ice Arena, I was your enemy; today, I am your friend, and in few days I'll show you how to take human form," Zyma spoke, and she then stepped aside to let Natsu in.

"Hey Lucy," Levy greeted, the dragons just eyed each other.

"Lucy, look at all this fish!" Happy called out, he was hovering before a big salmon.

"Yeah, its causing a bit of a smell," she replied.

"Then we better eat it," Zyma announced, she then set some aside for Happy to eat raw before she turned to Natsu: "Natsu, can you grill some of this up without turning it to charcoal?"

With one small breath of fire he cooked some of the meat, and it really did smell good.

"I've managed to season and cut the meat myself. In the Necropolis, I've found that a lot of dragons had such culture."

"Why are you so intent on bringing them back?" Levy asked.

"I think that they're awesome... It also broke my heart somewhat when I learned that there were some dragons that supported coexistence with humans, but then the humans - the dragon-slayers - rose against them and pretty much wiped them out to the point of extinction. It is for those particular dragons that I want to make their dream a reality. However, like I said before, I think that they're amazing creatures and I happened to find myself in a unique position to bring them back."

"Still, you could've at least asked if we wanted any part of this!" Natsu snapped.

Zyma huffed: "I still can't comprehend why you would want to turn away such an opportunity in the first place. Especially you, Natsu; as you are now, you might be strong enough to beat Erza, Laxus, _and_ Gildarts."

There was a pause when Natsu's eyes turned from a scowl, to contemplative, and then realization.

"DON'T GET ANY IDEAS, DRAGON BOY!" Lucy shouted.

"Although, if there was a non-slayer that could best a dragon, I would have to say that it would be Erza," Zyma added.

They ate and tension seemed to ease. Afterward, Zyma proposed a flying race to while away some time, and to let Lucy and Levy to have some girl time.

"Alright, Zyma, you're on! I'll beat you _and_ Gajeel!" Natsu announced, the roar in his voice made the cave shake! The three dragons took off pretty quick after that!

"Hopefully they won't destroy any cities while they're at it," Levy spoke.

"Knowing the guys it would take a miracle," Lucy replied. Now that they were on the subject, she asked: "How did Gajeel transform?"

"We were on a job and we got separated during a fight with a dark guild. I was almost a goner when he turned up and gave them everything he had, and that's what made him transform."

"Hmm, Natsu transformed during our job too. It was supposed to be a ninja-type mission: Infiltrate a party at a mansion, destroy one thing and steal another, but we got ambushed, Natsu transformed during the fight, and he ended up demolishing a good chunk of mansion in our escape," Lucy replied.

"Aye, that's Natsu for ya," Happy interjected.

"By the way, where are Lily and Athena?" Lucy asked.

"At home; we got Mirajane and Lisana to help watch over the baby... I don't like being away from her, but Gajeel needs me and I wasn't going to bring an infant here... Maybe I should give them a call."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Levy pulled out her communication lacrima and headed into the human accommodations tunnel for a few minutes. She checked in on how things were going and to say those sweets things that parents say to their kids over audio-communication.

Levy returned to Lucy: "They sounded a little stressed, but things are under control."

"Hey, has Gajeel changed in any other way since his transformation?"

"Not really... He's scared for the future though, but other than that he seems just fine."

"Alright, and have you heard anything on Wendy?"

"I only know that she's taken that job with Cana, but I haven't heard of anything else and she's not here yet," Levy replied.

"Okay, one more question: Have you been giving Zyma's offer to us any thought?"

"The one where she's willing to turn _us_ into dragon-slayers? I have... and I'm starting to lean towards accepting it."

"You _ARE?_" Lucy replied in surprise.

"Lucy, dragons live a long time, and I want to be there for Gajeel. Also, between him, Natsu, and Wendy, we have proof that they can be great parents to human children."

"Oh, I didn't even think about the lifespan." Lucy admitted.

"Maybe that's a secret reason as to why Zyma wants to bring the dragons back, and why she picked Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel. Her Cold Magic slows her body's aging process, she's already lost her home and family, she's likely lost some friends too, and _we_ were the people to help her fill the void those people left in her heart. Now that she's also a dragon, perhaps she simply wants to make sure that she will have friends that can live out a prolonged lifespan with her."

"If that's true, then that would make her a more sympathetic villain... Should we talk to her about this?"

"Maybe, but not today, there's just so much on my mind already," Lucy replied.

A moment later, they heard the dragons re-enter the cave. Natsu and Gajeel butted heads and started arguing while Zyma brushed past them while shaking her head; given that the guys were in each other's faces, there were only a few guesses as to what had happened.

"They haven't changed a bit," Zyma muttered.

"What happened?" Levy asked, though she already figured what may've gone down.

"They started throwing cheap shots at each other and it escalated into a fight."

"Yep, that's Natsu and Gajeel for you," Lucy replied: "Are you sure that allowing them to turn into dragons was a wise idea?"

"I'm not one to regret my decisions," Zyma replied.

Ω Ω Ω

They were about to settle in for the evening when they heard the approach of another dragon.

"Ah, now Wendy's coming!" Zyma declared.

Wendy flew in with Carla on her back: "Whoa, you guys are here already?" she spoke, looking at Natsu and Gajeel. Zyma raised her head and with a smile spoke: "Wendy, you look magnificent!

"Well, I suppose, for a dragon at least... but _four_ wings?" she replied, and then she displayed them.

"Well, you are a sky dragon, after all, so it's best for you to have the adaptations to spend long periods of time in the air," Zyma remarked, she also noticed something: "You don't seem as agitated as the guys when they got here."

"Well I've enough agitation for the both of us! It was quite the unsettling experienced for us and Miss Cana when she transformed!" Carla declared.

"I apologize for that, though I had no control over it. Anyway, Wendy, welcome to me cave, we were just about to call it a night."

Carla and Happy flew into the human accommodations with Lucy and Levy while Zyma built a fire for Natsu to light, and they just curled up in their chamber. The dragons' sleeping breaths made the ground vibrate, but at least the girls and exceeds were able to fall asleep.

Ω Ω Ω

**Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


	22. Chapter 22: A Warm Embrace

**Chapter XXII**

**A Warm Embrace**

It was easy for Lucy and Levy to wake up in the morning because the dragons started stirring. They got out of the beds to check what was going on.

"We're off to hunt and fish, are any of you interested?" Zyma asked.

"Aye, sir!" Happy called out. The girls decided to join them too, getting rides from Happy and Carla.

Down at the lake, the dragons figured out their own how to get food and they all had success in getting something big, and afterwards Zyma showed them hor to cut meat using claws. They cut, they ate, and then they just hung around like friends out on a picnic.

Ω Ω Ω

The day finally came where Zyma was ready to show them how to assume human form again. Her lecture combined Mirajane's lecture on transformation magic with a speech on putting 'the beast' to rest and recall what grounded them as humans.

She worked with each dragon one-on-one, starting with Gajeel, and with Levy watching on, he picked up the skill rather quickly, and once he was in human form again, he ran over to Levy and scooped her up in his arms!

"It's good to see that face again!" she declared.

Zyma then moved on to Wendy, again she picked up the skill rather quickly, and got a delighted hug from Carla.

Natsu, however, was a different story. Being a bit more of a wild child than the others, and being the subject of Zeref's magic, he struggled a bit more and needed some extra attention.

"I had a feeling you'd have a tougher time, Natsu. Don't worry, I"m going to keep my promise to you... Lucy, Happy, would you two come here please?"

They came forward.

"Natsu, try focusing on your feelings towards them. You're driven by your emotions, especially emotions towards others. Say something if you have to." Zyma told him.

Natsu shifted, and after a moment it seemed like he almost blushed. The words were on his tongue, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say them, not the way he was now. Still, those emotions were enough to help him fuel the magic and turned him back to human form. He was standing there for a brief second before Lucy and Happy tackled him to the ground. The pink-haired imp was on his back and smiling.

"Hey Salamander, nice suit!" Gajeel called out. He, Lucy, and Happy looked down and saw that he was wearing the same suit that he had on during his last job, his scarf was also around his neck. Lucy then let him up.

"Remember, this is just a visage. No matter what form you're in, you're still dragons," Zyma spoke: "Dragons need to spread their wings, and if you can't do it physically, then your minds might be affected. So, please, try to find away to allow some 'dragon time' into your routine. I don't care if it is just going out for a flight to de-stress yourselves, to sleep under the stars, or even if you want to fight against yourselves or even me! However, if you end up picking fights with another dragon, please take it where you won't accidentally wipe out a city. When you get good enough at transforming, you should be able to do partial transformations, like bringing out your claws, horns, and wings which would help you out."

The dragons gave her a nod.

"Great, now what?" Wendy asked.

"Now I can give you a ride back to the guild," Zyma replied and she offered her back. After an exchange of looks, they accepted and climbed on. She waited until she felt everyone get situated and took flight.

Ω Ω Ω

Zyma flew over Magnolia to the guild, let her friends dismount, and shifted back to human form. Eyes went straight them when they entered. Word had already spread about what had happened to them, and it wasn't like the dragons could keep it secret.

Zyma went straight to the bar and ordered some blood orange juice, leaving the others to catch up with their friends. Mirajane, to her credit, decided to make friendly with Zyma by asking her: "How was Mount Hakabe?"

"It was lovely, the cold there is brilliant, I picked giant strawberries with balkans, and the dragons that came to visit me were awesome! You could easily believe that they were Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel," she replied. It was her way of saying that they hadn't changed.

"So, you're not planning on causing any more trouble?" Mirajane asked.

"Not unless you or Erza want to pick a fight with me... the She-Devil and Titania vs the Winter Queen, now that would be an epic and very destructive match!"

"Yeah, it would be quite the exciting fight, though I don't really like to fight unless I have to. Also, facing me _and_ Erza at the same time would be a lot for you to handle, even if we're not dragon-slayers."

"I suppose you're right," Zyma replied. She drank her juice and observed the guild around her. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Gajeel was holding Athena while talking to some friends, Natsu was goofing off alongside Elfman and a few of the other guys, and Wendy was hanging out with Lucy and Cana.

A little while later - after Zyma had finished her juice - Natsu approached her and his eyes weren't very pleasant.

"Do you need something, Natsu?" Zyma asked.

"I should tell you something outside," he replied.

She followed him outside towards the lake, and Natsu spoke: "On my last job, I met with this couple named Alios and Mio. They looked just like Zeref and Master Mavis, but I didn't sense any magic from them.

"Their magic might be dormant, and I thank you for telling me. Are there any more details that you can share with me?"

"Alios told me that he thought I seemed familiar to him. I didn't say one word about Zeref to him... They both seemed happy, and I wasn't about to break that."

"That's fine... Although if Alios is Zeref, there's a chance that he might recall his former life. Should that happen, he may wonder where you are and what became of you."

"You think?"

"You're his brother, Natsu, and despite all the wrongs he committed, he was quite devoted to you. The question would be this: If Alios remembers that he is Zeref, and if he comes looking for you as his little brother, would you be able to accept him?" Zyma replied.

"I don't know, that's a lot of ifs; but I think I'll know should that ever happen," Natsu told her.

Ω Ω Ω

**Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**


End file.
